


Kisses From the Golden Moon

by nateulm



Series: The Guardian of the Moon [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-08-08 23:45:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 49,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7778299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nateulm/pseuds/nateulm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after the events in The Guardian of the Moon. After being paired up on a mission, Neji and Shikamaru's relationship begins to change. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke face a problem that could end not only their relationship, but the fragile peace of the ninja world as well. Rated M for language and sexual content.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

 

Shikamaru scowled as he stormed through the halls of the Hokage's residence.

The few shinobi who were milling about in the hallways stood back to let him pass, as it was common knowledge that if one of the Nara men, especially Shikamaru, was moving at a pace faster than a crawl, it either meant that there was imminent danger – or that he was pissed.

In this case, it was the latter.

Shikamaru approached the door to the Hokage's circular office, not bothering to knock as he threw the door open and stormed inside. Neither of the men in the room reacted to his furious entrance, their heads bent towards a stack of paperwork on the desk.

His sharp ponytail slicing through the air as he advanced, Shikamaru growled, "Naruto, you troublesome bastard!"

The man standing beside the desk, dressed in the dark colours that signified he was a member of the Black Ops, straightened up stiffly. He wasn't wearing his mask, so Shikamaru didn't miss the flash of anger that flared underneath the onyx of Sasuke's eyes. Shikamaru's gaze flicked involuntarily to the twin swords sheathed over Sasuke's shoulders, both so long that the tips were visible on either side of Sasuke's hips, before he glanced back to the scowling Uchiha's face.

Choosing to ignore the unspoken warning in Sasuke's eyes, Shikamaru yanked a crumpled paper from one of his pockets and waved it through the air like a parade flag. "What the hell is up with making _me_ organize the Chunin Exams?" Shikamaru hissed, ignoring the aggressive step that Sasuke took in his direction. "You _knew_ that I had plans that week. You know, the plans where I would be as far away as possible during the exams?"

Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously. "Questioning direct orders, Nara? You're crossing the line."

There were a few seconds of silence, during which Naruto kept his head bent towards the document he was scanning. Finally, he nodded to himself, and with a flourish of his wrist he signed it. And then, the Rukodaime Hokage looked up; eying Shikamaru thoughtfully as he said, "Stand down, Sasuke."

Sasuke's posture relaxed immediately. But his disapproving eyes never left Shikamaru's face as he stalked behind Naruto's desk.

Ignoring the overly protective Uchiha with a sigh of irritation, Shikamaru waved the paper again. "Seriously. Why?"

Naruto leaned back in his chair, scratching at the stubble on his chin. "I was planning on having Sakura-chan do it, but she's busy with a new batch of medical trainees. She said she wants them to be field-ready in time for the exams."

"What about Sasuke, then?" Shikamaru muttered, glaring angrily at the hovering Uchiha.

"I have other obligations as Captain of the Hokage's personal guard." Sasuke said, his silky voice a gentle hum compared to Naruto's rich tenor.

"What, babysitting Naruto?" Shikamaru snorted. "Yeah, that's a real tough job you got there, Sasuke."

"Harder than you might think." Sasuke whispered venomously.

Shikamaru blinked at the aggression in his tone. It prompted him to look around the room, blinking the frustration from his mind as he took stock of his surroundings. The window behind Naruto was missing, and the wooden frame was charred completely black.

 _"An attack?"_ Shikamaru wondered, eyebrows shooting towards his hairline.

"The Rukodaime is always under threat." Sasuke said, still in that low tone. He laid a hand protectively on Naruto's shoulder.

The blond, in complete contradiction to Sasuke's serious expression, flashed a wide grin. "Sometimes I let them get close. Keeps things interesting."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. _"The Rukodaime is always under threat?"_ He huffed inwardly. _"Yeah, right."_

"Anyways." Shikamaru grumbled. "About these orders. I don't want them, Naruto. It's too troublesome. Find someone else. Shino, Kakashi, Hinata - anyone."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "I did consider giving the job to Neji."

"Yeah, fantastic, make Neji do it." Shikamaru muttered. "And when he hears that I'm the one who got him stuck with the job, he'll crack my head in two."

Naruto smiled slightly as he stood: the sunlight streaming in through the broken window haloed around his golden head, crowning him with light. His energy seemed to pulse around him like a shimmering aura, filling the room with warmth. Shikamaru was suddenly reminded of the images he had seen of western kings, adorned with golden circlets and draped in red robes. He quickly pushed the thought aside, wary as Naruto stepped around the desk.

Naruto was studying him closely; his blue eyes seeming to cut right into Shikamaru, making him feel exposed.

 _"Damn Sagey-intuition-mind-reading crap."_ He grumbled to himself while schooling his expression into one that was smooth and untroubled.

The Hokage came to stand before him, close enough that Shikamaru had to bend his neck to meet his gaze. Naruto's eyebrows lifted fractionally and his eyes suddenly glazed, his attention seeming to be pulled elsewhere. For a moment, they all stood in silence, and then Naruto shook his head with a slight frown.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, eyebrows meeting in concern.

"Nothing urgent." Naruto replied gently, keeping his eyes fixed on Shikamaru. "Now, Shikamaru, are you going to organize the exams for me or should I ask Neji to do it, you know?"

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head. "He'll be really pissed." He muttered.

" _You're_ really pissed." Naruto pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but," Shikamaru sighed. "When I'm pissed, I complain. When Neji's pissed…like I said, I might be in danger of getting my head cracked open."

Naruto tilted his head to the side like a curious animal, his bright eyes reflecting the sunlight. "So what do you want me to do?"

Shikamaru sighed again but didn't answer. He crossed his arms over his chest, mind racing. He almost yelped in surprise when Sasuke suddenly spoke directly behind him. Shikamaru hadn't noticed him move.

"Might I suggest," Sasuke said, "That they team up? Organize it together, to distribute the work load?"

Naruto grinned. "That's a great idea, Sasuke!"

Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest, but Naruto was already whirling away, a flurry of fiery colour as he darted over to the door and yanked it open. "You can come in now." He said to someone in the hall.

Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up as Neji stalked silently into the room. An excited looking woman followed him, her eyes flashing quickly between Naruto and Sasuke, her cheeks an alarming shade of crimson. Shikamaru had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Neji noticed his expression, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in the faintest smile.

By then, Naruto had returned to his desk, surveying them all as he leaned against the polished wooden surface. Sasuke circled around to stand next to him, his dark eyes glinting with amusement.

"Hold on," Shikamaru hissed. "You two had already decided that Neji and I would team up on this? Why didn't you just tell me that from the beginning?"

"It was more amusing this way." Sasuke said, smirking.

Shikamaru opened his mouth to retort, but Naruto cleared his throat, smiling apologetically.

"I know this is a really annoying assignment," Naruto began, his deep voice making the air hum. "I hate making you guys do it, I really do. But this is the first time the exams have been held here since the war, and I want everything to go as smoothly as possible. I'd organize it myself, but…well, you guys are better at organizing stuff."

Naruto glanced between Neji and Shikamaru. When neither of them spoke, he inclined his head to the woman who stood behind them. Shikamaru saw her jolt in surprise when Naruto's unsettlingly potent gaze rested on her.

"This lady is a representative from the…uh…exam council?"

The woman shook herself, stepping forward to address them. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Rei Moon-Lee, and I am here as a representative of the Shinobi Examiners Committee. I will be in charge of monitoring the testing procedures, to make sure everything is up to par and running smoothly!"

Shikamaru clenched his teeth in irritation, fighting the urge to let out a loud groan.

"So that's what this is about?" Neji intoned, his voice carrying the slightest hint of irritation. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, when I received your summons I had been expecting something a little more…"

"You mean I didn't tell you the specifics of the mission?" Naruto replied, sounding surprised.

"Not at all, sir." Neji said, pulling a piece of paper out from a hidden fold in his sleeve. With one finger, he delicately unfolded it, pale eyes darting across the page as he continued. "All it says is that I am to team up with Nara on an important assignment."

Naruto grinned. "See, I did tell you! Shikamaru, assignment, that's all you need to know!"

Neji's gaze shifted warily to Shikamaru, who sighed. Shoving his hands, and the crumpled piece of paper he still held, into his pockets. "Even if I have a partner, I still don't want to do this. It's a drag."

Sasuke scowled. "Who cares whether you _want_ to do it or not, Nara? Hyuga doesn't seem to mind. And besides, it is an _order_ from your Hokage."

Shikamaru quickly glanced away. He may have been mad, but he definitely wasn't stupid. And it would be incredibly stupid to try and go toe-to-toe with Sasuke. He turned to Neji instead, ignoring the woman who stood between them as he asked, "Are you okay with this?"

Neji tilted his head slightly, long strands of hair sliding over his shoulder fluidly. "They're just orders, Nara."

"Argh!" Shikamaru rolled his shoulders, tilting his head back to glare angrily at the ceiling. "Fine then. I'll do it. But when it's over, I'm taking a vacation for real Naruto. I mean it. At least a week. Maybe two!"

Naruto's deep chuckle drew Shikamaru's eyes to the blond's smiling face. "Two whole weeks, just you and that giant brain of yours? You wouldn't last a day, Shikamaru. But, I'm glad you've accepted the assignment. I know you two will do a good job. And please make sure to consult with Ms. Lee as often as possible, especially if I'm not around."

"Please!" The woman gushed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Call me Rei."

"Of course, Rei." Naruto replied, bowing his head. His golden hair fell around his eyes, framing them as he observed the woman.

Rei blushed crimson again before bowing deeply, attempting to hide her flustered expression.

Shikamaru smirked.

"The exams are set to take place in two months," Naruto continued, his gaze sliding between Neji and Shikamaru. "I think that will give you two plenty of time."

"Of course, Hokage-sama." Neji immediately replied, bowing.

"Sure, whatever." Shikamaru muttered. "Are we done? I have a lot of work to do."

Naruto's smile widened. "Yep, you can go. Thanks Shikamaru, Neji! And uh, Rei."

"Not at all, it's truly a pleasure to meet you, Hokage-sama! And you, Uchiha-sama!"

The woman continued to bow as she followed Shikamaru out of the room, finally bumping into Neji as he reached over her to shut the door behind them. As soon as the sound of her flustered apology had faded along with their footsteps, Naruto let out a slow breath.

"You don't think they noticed, do you?"

"No, even Neji had no idea that you're a clone." Sasuke answered softly. "Where is the original now?"

"Down by the river where I used to train." The clone Naruto said. "I'll stay here, but you can go."

"Okay." Sasuke said, making for the broken window. But then he paused, turning back to Naruto, who returned his gaze curiously.

"What?"

Sasuke reached up, his gloved fingers gently combing the hair away from Naruto's eyes. "I think you should ask Sakura to trim you hair. Or are you planning on growing it as long as Neji's?"

Naruto blushed. "I thought about it once or twice."

"No." Sasuke said. "Absolutely not."

Sasuke turned and leapt out the window, the sound of Naruto's booming laughter following him as he raced over the rooftops. His mind was already focused on the real Naruto, feverishly wondering what was so bad that his clone had gotten distracted while speaking with Shikamaru. Anyone else would have interpreted Naruto's sudden silence as a moment of consultation with the Nine-tailed fox Kurama, but Sasuke knew better. Something had happened, and Naruto had decided not to tell him about it.

Brow creasing with worry, Sasuke quickened his pace, bracing for what he would discover at the riverside.

* * *

 

"Nara!"

Shikamaru flinched at the sound of Neji's voice.

He was halfway down the steps of the Hokage's mansion, having been intent on disappearing while Neji was distracted with Rei, who had apologized more than any normal human should. His hands in his pockets, Shikamaru appeared completely relaxed as he turned towards the Hyuga, eyebrows raised.

"What's up?"

"What's up?" Neji parroted. "What's up with you arguing with the Hokage over direct orders?"

Shikamaru sighed, glancing around for spectators. Not wanting to have this discussion in front of the busiest building in the village, Shikamaru ambled down the remaining steps, setting off down the path with lazy strides.

Incredulous at being ignored, Neji followed close behind him.

"Naruto may be our friend, Nara, but he is the Hokage now and you should treat him with the same respect you showed previous Hokage." Neji scolded, catching up to Shikamaru. "He is your superior, and as such you should follow his orders without complaint!"

"I do respect Naruto, Hyuga." Shikamaru replied, voice strained. "You should know that better than anyone."

"Then perhaps you should show it." Neji bristled.

Shikamaru hummed in response. By now, they were wandering down an empty side street. Turning fluidly, Shikamaru made his way down a shadowy alley between two large houses. Neji followed close behind him, not yet finished with his lecture.

"It's utter childishness!" Neji continued, "It's a simple assignment, Nara. A time consuming one, yes, but a simple one none-the-less! Are you really so busy that you cannot-"

Shikamaru turned suddenly, making Neji jolt in surprise.

They were standing extremely close, but fueled by their mutual irritation, neither of them wanted to take a step back.

The two were almost exactly the same height, so Neji found himself staring directly into Shikamaru's eyes as the Shadow-nin whispered, "Busy? You know how fucking busy I am, Hyuga."

Slightly thrown by the aggressiveness in Shikamaru's stance and voice, Neji lowered his gaze, glaring at Shikamaru's mouth as he retorted, "As we all are, Nara. None of the rest of us complain, do we?"

"No, of course not, the rest of you are perfect." Shikamaru hissed, leaning even closer to Neji. "Say whatever the hell you want about me, Hyuga. Tell me that I'm a lazy piece of shit; that I'm a terrible ninja. I couldn't care less. But don't you _ever_ tell me that I don't respect Naruto. You have no fucking idea what you're talking about."

Alarmed by Shikamaru's ferocity, Neji finally stepped back. For the first time, he observed the strategist carefully. Shikamaru Nara had always been slender, but he seemed thinner than usual. The circles under his eyes had darkened from blue to a deep, blackish-purple. And his keen, angry eyes were bloodshot under the dark fan of his eyelashes.

Shikamaru seemed to stiffen under Neji's scrutiny. The shadows in the alley darkened and gathered around him like a cloak, his entire body rigid with tension and anger. He folded his arms, turning his face away as he muttered, "Stop looking at me like that, Hyuga."

Neji let out a controlled breath through his nose, struggling to stifle his frustration. "Fine," He said, "I will refrain from making comments about your loyalty to the Hokage. But I outrank you, Nara, so I can't stand by and let you speak to Naruto in such a way."

Shikamaru glanced at Neji from the corner of his eye. For a second, his mind seemed to be furiously working, and his gaze filled with such dark intensity that Neji's pulse began to race.

But then the lazy genius yawned, his hand dragging across his tired, intelligent eyes. When he returned his gaze to Neji, his eyes were once again perfectly unreadable.

"This is a drag." Shikamaru said. "Think you can finish lecturing me later? I want to go take a nap."

Blinking in confusion, Neji could only nod.

"Thanks, Hyuga-sensei." Shikamaru drawled mockingly, turning on his heel as he stalked off down the alley toward the Nara forest. For a moment, the shadows seemed to cling to his retreating frame. But then they released him, puffing dreamily like clouds before sinking back down and becoming dormant.

Neji stared after Shikamaru until he vanished in the darkness under the giant trees. And then, with the faintest smile, Neji turned to go back the way they had come. As he stepped back out into the light, Neji imagined that he could faintly hear a familiar, sleepy voice drifting behind him.

_"Troublesome Hyuga."_

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I spend my entire life trying to avoid unnecessary difficulty, Hyuga."

Chapter 2

* * *

 

Dappled sunlight danced across Naruto's clenched eyelids, burning inverted red patterns into his eyes. Grimacing, he draped one muscular arm over his face, blocking out the offending light. The summer breeze brushed along his skin like phantom fingers, making him shiver despite the warm sun.

Shaking his head slightly, Naruto forced himself to refocus. For the past hour, he had been monitoring the forests around Konoha through the network of natural chakra that flowed through all living things. As his meditation improved, the range of his awareness grew larger. The Sage was pleased to say that he could keep an eye on things that happened more than half way to the Sand Village.

In order to observe everything while meditating, Naruto had to completely empty his mind. He had to become completely void of thought and emotion, and allow the natural chakra to flow through him. It usually started as a gentle, trickling stream of images. But before long, Naruto felt as if his consciousness was spread like a massive umbrella over the land. It was an excellent way to keep an eye out for danger, but it was extremely tiring.

Not to mention that, upon shutting off the flow of chakra and returning to his own, quiet consciousness, it always took a few uncomfortable minutes for Naruto to regain his bearings.

He steeled himself in preparation to do just that. Fists clenching, he slowly pulled back the tangled threads of his conscious mind, images flashing through his brain in vivid colour. Finally, like the snapping of a rubber band, Naruto was thrown back into his own skull. Resisting the urge to vomit at the sensation of being once again trapped in flesh, Naruto focused on the chakra centre in his lower abdomen.

The steady pulse of warm power reassured him. 

Naruto allowed his focus to stray over the rest of his body: the demon fox curled up beneath the sealing mark on his stomach, the slow beating of his heart, the grass tickling his neck.

The breeze rolled over him again, carrying with it a familiar presence.

Naruto immediately rolled onto his side, resting his golden head on his hand as he watched Sasuke come striding out of the forest.

Naruto felt his heart swelling at the sight of his partner. Sasuke was a vision of darkness against the bright green backdrop of leaves, like a drop of the night sky had fallen down amongst the trees. His long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, secured at the base of his neck by a cord as red as ox's blood. The inky black strands seemed weightless as they danced in the breeze, even though they were long enough now to hang by Sasuke's elbows. Naruto wondered idly how Sasuke's hair didn't get tangled in the long, twin swords sheathed at his back.

Sasuke was wearing his Black Ops uniform, which he always kept meticulously clean. The dark uniform suited him nicely, clinging to his lithe, muscular frame. In stark contrast, Sasuke's skin was porcelain-pale. This made his eyes – sometimes black, sometimes crimson – seem even deeper in his lovely face.

The slightest flush of colour clung to Sasuke's cheeks as he approached the lounging blond who was so openly observing him.

"You're staring, idiot."

Naruto grinned, a boyish flash of bright teeth. "It's your fault for looking so good."

"Is that so." Sasuke grumbled, trying his best to sound annoyed.

But when he sat down beside the blond, Sasuke immediately bent down to kiss him. After nearly four years living together as lovers, it was an ingrained habit. And yet, Naruto still hummed with appreciation against Sasuke's lips. And Sasuke, even though he tried his best to ignore them, still felt his stomach erupt with butterflies in response.

After a lingering moment, Sasuke pulled away. Naruto rolled onto his back as Sasuke braced his hand beside Naruto's head, so that he was looming over him, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"There's grass in your hair." Sasuke said as he reached over with his other hand, gently pulling the greenery free from the golden locks that had captured them.

"Maybe I wanted it there." Naruto replied teasingly.

"Hm," Sasuke hummed absently, focused on extracting the blades of grass. "It does give you an appealingly tousled look. Like you've been rolling around in the grass instead of performing your duties as Hokage."

When Naruto was silent, Sasuke glanced down at him. Naruto looked, as always, _infuriatingly_ handsome. Stubble clung to his proud jawline, almost concealing the scars on his face that resembled whiskers. A peaceful smile played across his lips, making his cheeks dimple. In the bright light, his blue eyes seemed to gleam, the flecks of gold hidden within them shimmering like coins at the bottom of a tropical sea.

Sasuke sighed. "What have you been doing out here all day?"

Naruto tilted his head, steady gaze unfaltering as he took in every detail of Sasuke's face. "Meditating, watching. You know."

"Oh?" Sasuke ran his fingers gently over Naruto's eyebrows, smoothing the coarse hairs. "See anything interesting?"

"Other than the assassin that tried to take out you and my clone, nothing."

Sasuke's fingers wandered down the straight ridge of Naruto's nose. "I wish you had told me about that. I'm the Captain of your personal guard. That means I'm supposed to protect you from things like assassins."

Naruto smiled, shrugging slightly. "But then you would have gotten stressed out. The guy wasn't even that strong."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Compared to you, nobody it strong."

"Not true!" Naruto yelped. "There are loads of really amazing ninja! Like you!"

"Then I wish you would let me protect you." Sasuke softly urged, his wandering digits now stroking along Naruto's jawline. "I feel like I'm holding an empty title."

"You do protect me though, Sasuke."

"From what?"

"Loneliness." Naruto mournfully replied. He then added thoughtfully, "And from Shikamaru. How was he? Was he pissed?"

Sasuke smiled. "Extremely. And Hyuga didn't seem too pleased either. Why the hell did you insist on pairing them up for that assignment, Naruto? You know they've never gotten along."

The skin around Naruto's eyes tightened as he composed his thoughts. The green fabric of his Jounin vest rustled as he sat up, Sasuke straightening to let him rise. Absently, Naruto rerolled the sleeves of his black undershirt, the fabric stretched tight over his muscular forearms.

"I think they get along better than either of them realizes." Naruto finally said, his eyes glinting deviously. "I guess I was just hoping that, if they were forced to spend some time together, they'd be able to figure it out for themselves."

Sasuke couldn't help but laugh. "You're such an idiot."

"Thanks."

The Jinchuuriki reached out, gently taking Sasuke's gloved hand in his own, roughly calloused one. He ran his thumb over Sasuke's palm, keeping his eyes down as he said, "Do I really make you feel like you're holding an empty title?"

Sasuke squeezed Naruto's warm fingers. "Of course not. It's an honour to be able to spend every day by your side. Just…let me be the one to take out the bad guy every now and then."

Naruto grinned. "I'll let you beat them all up, if you want."

"How noble." Sasuke teased.

Still smiling, Naruto leaned in, using his free hand to brush the loose strands of hair away from Sasuke's face before he kissed him. Naruto's keen nose took in his partner's familiar scent of soap, incense and weapon oil. But it was the lingering remains of his own musky scent that had Naruto's animal instincts humming with pleasure.

Naruto pulled his lips away, tilting Sasuke's face up so that their eyes were level. "I love you." Naruto murmured, his voice like smoke in the air between them.

Sasuke's spine tingled, a warm blush reaching his cheeks. In one swift motion, he pulled away from Naruto and stood, brushing grass off his pants. And then, he smiled down at Naruto, his tone playful as he said; "I think your clone can take care of things at the office today. So for now, how about you take me home, idiot-blond?"

Whooping loudly, Naruto jumped to his feet, scooping up his red cloak in the process. And then the two were racing for home, but they only made it as far as the tree line before stopping to kiss frantically, their hands grasping tightly.

His back against a tree, Sasuke's entire body trembled as Naruto left a trail of kisses on his neck. He could feel Naruto's body, so solid and strong, pressing firmly against his more agile frame. Sasuke grit his teeth, trying to suppress a moan.

"Fuck it," Naruto growled. "We're teleporting home. I want you _now_."

In response, Sasuke kissed him again, biting his bottom lip roughly.

Without warning, chakra flames erupted across Naruto's skin. At first, Sasuke ignored them, since it wasn't uncommon for Naruto's golden flames to appear when the Sage was feeling especially passionate. But then the flames leapt across the space between them, and Sasuke immediately wriggled away with a cry of pain.

With wide eyes, the two ninja stared at the flames surrounding Naruto. They weren't golden at all, but red – spluttering and unstable. Even as Sasuke watched, he could see the damaging fox-flames burning Naruto's skin.

"Naruto, what-?"

"It's not me!" Naruto exclaimed. "I can't-!"

Whatever the blond said next was drowned out by a sudden, violent roar of flame that rose up around Naruto in a column of crimson. From within the depths of the column Naruto howled once in pain, before he whirled on the spot and vanished, leaving Sasuke blinking in confusion in a clearing seared black and smoldering.

After a long moment of silence, Sasuke blinked owlishly before asking aloud, "Wait. What the hell just happened?"

When no response came from the empty clearing, Sasuke groaned in frustration. Crushing a burning leaf under his foot, he fished his radio out of his weapons pouch. Cramming it into his ear, he fiddled with the frequency dials until a smooth voice came through from the other end.

"Uchiha." Neji said curtly. "Is something wrong?"

"I need you to come to my location as quickly as possible, Hyuga." Sasuke snapped, worry beginning to creep in amongst his confusion and frustration.

After a moment of silence, Neji replied. "I see you. I'm coming now."

"Good." Sasuke said. He glanced around at the blackened trees, mind racing. He almost jumped when Neji spoke again, his voice crackling over the radio.

"What…what on earth happened?" He asked, voice thick with concern. "It looks like a chakra bomb went off."

"One kind of did."

"Oh?" Neji encouraged.

"Yeah," Sasuke adjusted the radio in his ear. "A Naruto bomb."

"I don't understand."

"Me neither." Sasuke admitted. "But I'll explain it to you as best I can when you get here."

"I'll be there in a moment." Neji replied.

And sure enough, within seconds Neji landed silently amongst the trees. He had changed out of his white robes and into his Black Ops uniform, the veins around his eyes bulging as he examined the smoking clearing.

"Uchiha," Neji said, his voice low and distracted. "There are traces of the Kyuubi's chakra everywhere."

Sasuke nodded, trying to stay calm. His worry grew with every passing second, but he knew Neji needed an explanation. Not that Sasuke had a very good one – he was just as confused as Neji in that moment.

"The Naruto you spoke to earlier today was a clone." Sasuke began, "The real Naruto was down by the river meditating and keeping an eye on things outside the village. He seemed perfectly normal when I went to collect him. But then, as we were making our way home, he just started randomly emitting chakra flames. And not his gold Jinchuuriki chakra ones; they were pure foxfire. They even burned me a little."

Neji deactivated his dojutsu, taking a step closer to Sasuke to examine the burns. The flames had managed to burn through his long gloves in several places. The skin beneath was an angry red colour, and was already starting to blister slightly.

"They look painful," Neji remarked. "But I suspect Sakura could heal them in no time."

"Heal them?" Sasuke snorted. "She'll punch me and tell me to toughen up. I'm not worried about my injuries. Hyuga, I need you to find Naruto as quickly as possible. Locating him, and ensuring his safety, are my main priorities right now."

"Of course," Neji said, preparing to reactivate his dojutsu. But then he paused, glancing at Sasuke with his curious, milky eyes. "Why did you summon me, instead of contacting your squad?"

Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh. "Listen, Neji. If Naruto is malfunctioning, the less people who know, the better. Konoha is still weak after the war. The majority of our shinobi are Genin. If word got out that our fearless protector was out of commission…well, let's just say word better not get out. Understand?"

"I understand."

Without another word, Neji activated his eye technique. The veins on his temples bulged out alarmingly, his pale eyes suddenly sharpening and becoming more defined. Sasuke watched impatiently as Neji quickly scanned the surrounding area. After a tense moment, the Hyuga shook his head.

"He must be out of my range. Do you have any idea which way he went?"

Sasuke frowned. "No, he just kind of vanished. You know how he likes to do that."

One side of Neji's mouth quirked upwards in a smile. "It seems to be a habit of his, yes. I can't imagine that he went far, though. Why can't I see him?"

"If you can't see him, and I can't sense him," Sasuke said, "It's because he's gone full Sage Mode and erased his chakra. In which case, I think I know where to look for him."

"Where's that?" Neji asked, slightly annoyed that he couldn't find his own Hokage.

"The Nara Forest."

* * *

 

With a satisfied sigh, Shikamaru lay back in the grass.

After almost an hour of aimless wandering through the trees, he had finally managed to calm down from his argument with Neji. Coincidentally, peace had found him at the same moment he discovered the perfect spot for napping. And so he lay on a grassy hillock, bathed in warm afternoon sunlight as he watched the lazily drifting clouds.

His eyelids felt impossibly heavy, so Shikamaru allowed them to drift shut. But as soon as he did so, the memory of Neji's angry face flashed through his mind, causing his eyes to flash open again. Frowning, Shikamaru stared up at the sky, new irritation taking root in his mind.

"Troublesome Hyuga."

It was bad enough that he had gotten stuck organizing the Chunin Exams. But to be paired up with Neji? Shikamaru grabbed a fistful of grass, angrily yanking it out of the soil. It squeaked through his fingers, and the annoying sound only made him angrier.

He could imagine why Naruto had decided to make them team up – the moronic blond wanted everyone to be friends. But Shikamaru was convinced that there was no way in seven hells that he and Neji Hyuga, Lord of the Stick-in-the-ass clan, could _ever_ get along. Even though Neji had a mind that was almost comparable with Shikamaru's, the two hadn't gotten along since they were children. Neji was so serious, so proud, so driven: traits that Shikamaru found, at best, tiring and bothersome.

"And his eyes piss me off." Shikamaru muttered to himself, throwing the blades of grass away. "And his face."

"You know, for a genius, you say some pretty dumb things."

Shikamaru bolted upright so quickly, he thought he could feel something in his abdomen tear. Standing directly before him, bathed in golden light, was Naruto. His yellow Sage eyes examined Shikamaru thoughtfully, a smile on his lips.

"Tch!" Shikamaru grumbled irritably as he lay back down. "What's dumb is you trying to make Neji and I play friends. Not everyone can get along, you know."

Shikamaru didn't react as Naruto sat down beside him, heat radiating from him in waves. "Neji isn't a bad guy, Shikamaru. He's changed a lot since we were kids."

"Maybe." Shikamaru grumbled. "But he's still got a giant stick up his ass."

Naruto looked down at him, reading Shikamaru's expression. His voice was low and serious as he said, "That might be true, Shikamaru, but I think Neji is willing to try and get along with you. You're the only one who seems to be clinging to the past."

"The past?" Shikamaru's eyes flew open, "Naruto, he _literally_ just told me off after we left your office."

Naruto laughed. "I'm sure he did. Sasuke lectures me all the time, you know? But it's because he cares, man. Same with Neji – he just wants to make you a better person."

"It's annoying." Shikamaru said flatly.

"Well, you'd better learn to ignore it then." Naruto replied. "Because I'm not changing my orders."

"What a drag."

"Yup." Naruto stood up, looking around into the trees. "Well, I'd better get going. When Sasuke and Neji show up, tell them I'm meditating or something."

"Sure." Shikamaru said, letting his eyes drift shut once more.

Complete silence fell over the clearing. Even though Shikamaru knew that Naruto had vanished soundlessly, he remained tensed with irritation. After only a few minutes of peace, the genius Nara heard two pairs of feet landing on the side of his small hill.

"Can't a guy catch a nap around here?" Shikamaru groaned. "Between you two and the damn Rukodaime, it's amazing that I haven't died from exhaustion."

"Grow up, Nara." Neji barked.

"Has Naruto been here?" Sasuke asked eagerly.

"Yep." Shikamaru said, his voice flat. "The troublesome bastard showed up just long enough to lecture me before wandering off again. I seriously can't catch a break today."

"Did he say anything?" Sasuke urged. "Did he seem okay?"

"He was in annoying, all-knowing Sage mode. Looked a little burnt though." Shikamaru said. "And he said to tell you two that he was off 'meditating or something'."

When Neji and Sasuke sighed, Shikamaru cracked open one tired eye.

"Why do you two want him, anyway? Did he run away from his paperwork again?"

Neji glanced at Sasuke warily before answering. "Something like that, yes. Now if you'll excuse us, Nara, we need to go and find him."

"Suit yourself." Shikamaru said tensely. "But believe me, if he doesn't want you to find him, you won't find him."

Sasuke ignored him, running around the hill and back down into the dense trees. Neji hesitated to follow him, staring at the chunk of torn earth beside Shikamaru's hand. Shikamaru continued to openly examine him, his dark eyes unreadable.

"I intend to cooperate with you on our assignment, Nara." Neji finally said. "I trust that you won't make it unnecessarily difficult."

"I spend my entire life trying to avoid unnecessary difficulty, Hyuga."

For a moment, it almost seemed like Neji was going to laugh. But then he turned, running after Sasuke with his long hair streaming behind him. Shikamaru watched him until he was out of sight, his dark Anbu uniform quickly blending with the deep shadows under the trees.

But Neji's voice seemed to linger in Shikamaru's ears long after he was gone. Unable to rest, Shikamaru rolled to his feet. He glanced once more in the direction Neji had gone, and then turned on his heel and began walking slowly in the opposite direction. But no matter how many steps he took, Shikamaru couldn't seem to leave the sound of Neji's voice behind.

"Unnecessarily difficult." Shikamaru muttered, laughing bitterly. "Yeah, right."

Without a sound, Shikamaru stepped off the path and melded into the shadows below the trees, for the moment leaving the light – and his worries – behind.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neji's eyebrows pulled together as he felt a strange pinching in his throat. The thought of Shikamaru being hurt seemed…wrong somehow.

Chapter 3

* * *

 

"I'm telling you, Naruto, I had nothing to do with it!" Kurama growled.

The giant fox's tails swished angrily through the air as he stood nose-to-nose with Naruto. His red fur bristled in defiance as he stared down his Jinchuuriki host. Naruto returned Kurama's stare unwaveringly, his arms crossed firmly over his broad chest.

Although Naruto didn't truly believe that Kurama had intentionally caused the violent explosion of chakra, he was desperate to find answers. What had caused it? Naruto prided his ability to control his vast pools of power, to ensure that there was always balance inside him. The thought of not being able to maintain that control concerned him deeply.

Naruto knew better than anyone else how terrible his power was. He knew the destruction he could cause, the pain and fear he could bring.

His face was set, stern as marble as he glared at the fox demon. But when Naruto noticed darkness beginning to creep along the edges of his inner-world, he shook himself, forcing himself to release the tension in his shoulders. The shadows, as if in direct response, stopped their slow forward creep – but did not disappear entirely.

Finally, the blond sighed. "Okay, I believe you, you know?"

"Good." Kurama barked, his flattened ears lifting slightly as he relaxed. "What the hell is going on, Naruto?"

"I wish I knew. My chakra has been weird ever since that thing with the Kou a couple years ago."

Kurama growled low in his chest, sitting back on his haunches. He stared down at the Jinchuuriki with his gleaming red eyes, saying; "All of a sudden, I felt my chakra being pulled out of my body. At first, I thought you were doing it on purpose. But then I realized that the reserve of our combined chakra was completely full, so I tried to stop the chakra flow right away."

Naruto's frown deepened. "I wasn't even using any chakra when it happened."

Kurama nodded slowly. "And this isn't the first time, either."

"No." Naruto turned and began pacing slowly in the silence of his inner-world. "But last time, it was just a sudden explosion of my normal chakra. This time it was yours? Argh, Kurama! I have no idea what the hell is going on, you know?"

"Me neither, kid." Kurama huffed. After a moment of thought, he added, "But it might help to stay out of your head for a while. Or rather, it might help to stay _in_ your head for a while. Take a break from meditating, Naruto. And try using your own chakra for a while."

"But I can't!" Naruto protested, the speed of his pace quickening as he gestured angrily towards his stomach. " _My_ chakra is _our_ chakra now. I can't access one without the other – we're too closely bound."

"Fine," the fox growled. "But you need to ease up on the meditating. Maybe spreading yourself out like that is too much of a shock on your chakra system to be doing it every day, several times a day."

"Maybe," Naruto pensively replied, "But if I don't keep watch-"

"Naruto!" Kurama boomed. "That's what your shinobi are for! They keep watch so you can focus on your paperwork."

Naruto groaned, rolling his tense shoulders. Above them, a barely discernable shimmer of gold flashed momentarily. Kurama didn't miss it, his keen eyes narrowing suspiciously. But he remained silent, watching the air around Naruto like a cat watching a mouse hole.

"I should get back." Naruto finally said, rubbing his head guiltily. "Sasuke's probably freaking out."

"You're going to be in trouble." Kurama unhelpfully agreed.

"And he totally knew that something was up earlier. I'd made the grass grow back around me, after that first chakra explosion down by the river," Naruto mutter, obviously sulking. "But he definitely noticed that it was new grass. The fact that he didn't ask me about it makes me nervous."

Kurama sneered, flashing his pointed fangs. "Maybe he just got distracted by how _pretty_ you are."

"How do I even begin to explain this to him?" Naruto whined, choosing to ignore Kurama's jibe.

"There's nothing to explain." The fox sighed as he lay down, staring at Naruto with one enormous eye. " _We_ don't even know what's happening yet, so don't confuse matters by giving him a lame explanation. Just say – sorry, I can't seem to stop blowing myself up lately - and be done with it."

For a moment, Naruto stared at the fox blankly. And then his entire frame withered dramatically, his arms swinging as he leaned forward, mouth turned sharply downward.

"I am so dead." He whined.

"Yup." Kurama sounded almost gleeful. "Now run along home to Sasuke, kid."

With a deep sigh, Naruto opened his eyes.

He was perched high in the branches of an ancient spruce tree, the bark beginning to grow up around his legs as it reacted to his spiritual Sage energy. In order to conceal himself, Naruto had tapped into pure natural chakra, allowing it to flow through him as if he was the heart in a giant circulatory system.

The bark crunched loudly as Naruto suddenly stood, sticking his head through the needles to look up at the sky. Night had fallen as he sat there meditating, making sure that his chakra didn't violently flare up again. But his chakra network had been completely normal for several hours. At least for now, it seemed like whatever anomaly had cause the explosion of chakra was gone.

And yet, Naruto continued to stand there, staring up at the silent vastness of the sky. His eyes glazed, becoming unfocused as he watched the coldly blinking stars. They seemed so far away, so silent and lonely. Naruto suddenly felt a pang in his heart, a dull sensation of deep sadness. He dragged his eyes away from the heavens, focusing on the branches below him as he quickly jumped down to the forest floor.

By the time he glanced back up at the sky, the feeling was gone.

It was replaced by a feeling of dread that hung over Naruto's head like a raincloud. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Naruto began to walk slowly towards home – and the wrath of Sasuke.

* * *

 

Shikamaru was dreaming.

His clenched eyelids seemed to shiver as the orbs beneath them moved. A thick line of tension creased the skin between his arching eyebrows, and a grimace clung to his lips.

Even in sleep, Shikamaru couldn't escape from his mind.

Neji blinked slowly as he deactivated his Byakugan, silently debating with himself. He stood on the low porch at the back of the Nara residence, staring at the sliding door that led into Shikamaru's room. Any other time, he would have barged into Shikamaru's room to wake him without pause. But after their argument today, Neji suddenly felt uncomfortable with the idea. It was as if crossing that threshold would thrust him into enemy territory.

Neji sighed, turning silently away from the sleeping ninja's door. He wondered idly where Shikamaru's parents had gone, as he had not seen them in the house when he quickly scanned it with his Byakugan. As he reached the edge of the porch, Neji glanced up at the clear night sky.

The moon was a sliver of silver, allowing the stars around it to shine vividly against the inky black sky. Neji stepped off the porch, his long hair swinging with the motion of his walk as he made his way to the silent fishpond that occupied the centre of Shikamaru's mothers well-tended garden.

Neji looked down at the surface of the water, the reflected stars dancing as the fish disturbed the surface of the water.

The sweet scent of some medicinal herb drifted towards Neji, and he inhaled the smell deeply. Neji enjoyed the Nara District. It was always silent and calm here, the abundant nature melding seamlessly with the welcoming homes. It was so different from the grand Hyuga residences, which always felt so coldly sterile and unfriendly.

With a miserable twist of his lips, Neji realized that he felt more at home standing in Shikamaru's dark garden than his did in his own bedroom back at the Hyuga residence.

Sighing deeply, Neji whispered, "I should go."

He turned, meaning to head back towards the Nara Forest. But then he froze, his spine stiffening as a foreign chakra wrapped around him and restricted his movement.

"Shadow Possession: complete." Shikamaru's lazy drawl drifted through the silent garden.

Neji held his breath. _"This cannot be happening."_

He steeled his expression into a cold, icy mask as he felt himself being forced to turn towards the Nara genius.

Shikamaru was leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, which was a solid mass of darkness behind him. Even from a distance he looked utterly exhausted, but Neji could feel his sharp, intelligent eyes raking over him like razor wire. After a long moment, Shikamaru pushed off the doorframe and meandered slowly to the edge of the porch. Neji grit his teeth as he was forced to mimic the motion.

"So," Shikamaru began monotonously. "Any particular reason why you're lurking in my garden? Please tell me you aren't here to yell at me some more."

Neji scowled. "Why on _earth_ would I come to your home in the middle of the night to argue with you over something that happened hours ago?"

"You tell me." Shikamaru replied, eyes deceptively blank as he studied Neji. "You might have come to crack my skull open as payback for getting you involved in this Chunin Exam bullshit."

"Why would I do that?" Neji asked, blinking in surprise. "The Hokage had already assigned me to this mission _before_ you starting making a fuss." 

Shikamaru smirked, infuriatingly calm and unreadable as he replied, "You're not exactly innocent when it comes to violent outbursts, Hyuga."

Neji's eyes narrowed as he began to fight against the chakra that was binding him. "Release me at once, Nara, or I shall do as you wish and knock you senseless."

Something dark flashed in Shikamaru's brown eyes. The skin around them tightened as he whispered, "At this point, Neji, I don't think I would stop you."

Stunned into stillness at those words, it took Neji a while to realize the shadows that had been binding him were gone. He took a few deep breaths, watching silently as the exhausted Shikamaru sat down on the edge of the porch. He moved slowly, as if every movement pained him.

"Are you-" Neji began, before cutting himself off.

Shikamaru glanced up through his eyelashes, gaze as dark as the shadows that surrounded them as he snorted. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, my humor gets a little dark when I'm tired."

As if to illustrate his point, Shikamaru yawned widely. He leaned against one of the pillars that supported the porch overhang, eyes lidded as he watched the reflections on the pond.

Neji stood watching him in silent fascination.

Having just risen from bed to capture the intruder in his garden, Shikamaru's hair was a mess around his angular face. Half of it was pulled up, away from his forehead, but the rest hung around his neck in a smooth sheet that appeared black in the light. His features, although pulled tight by tiredness, were still graceful and appealing. But there was a sharpness about him, a jaded and jagged aura that alluded to his extraordinary intelligence.

He wore nothing but a torn old pair of track pants, hanging low on his hips. His feet were bare, and Neji watched for a moment as Shikamaru picked at the cool grass with his toes. But then his eyes strayed back up to Shikamaru's bare torso. He was surprised by how many scars disrupted the smooth fabric of Shikamaru's skin.

Neji never thought about Shikamaru getting hurt. He was too smart, too cool and reserved to risk injury. Any damage he took in a fight was calmly planned and calculated to reach a desired end, like sacrificing a pawn on a shogi board in order to reach the king. And yet, there before Neji's eyes was a patchwork of scars, each one deeper and larger than the last. Many were rough and marked by smaller lines, which indicated hastily sewn stitches applied in the field.

Neji's eyebrows pulled together as he felt a strange pinching in his throat. The thought of Shikamaru being hurt seemed…wrong somehow.

After a moment, Neji realized that he was staring, and shook his head quickly to clear it. Of all Shikamaru's faults, one thing about him had always amazed Neji. And that was his ability to fall asleep anywhere, under any conditions, no matter how much chaos surrounded him – and yet, he would immediately awaken to the slightest rustling of a bush, or the creaking of a floorboard.

"So, what _are_ you doing here, Neji?" Shikamaru mumbled, his eyes still lowered. "Just stopped by to visit the fish?"

"No, actually." Neji said curtly, "I am here to discuss the exams."

"What a drag." Shikamaru grumbled, his eyelids shutting completely. He looked like he was about to fall asleep, right there on the porch. "Can't we talk about this tomorrow? Preferably in the afternoon."

Neji scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Honestly. How can you be so lethargic all the time?"

Without opening his eyes, Shikamaru pointed at his head. "You try lugging this thing around for twenty-one years, Hyuga, and then talk to me about lethargy. I think Naruto's got the right idea, you know, checking out from his head to meditate all the time. It's probably the only thing that's kept him sane."

Neji had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "In that case, I'll say what I came to tell you so you can go back to sleep."

Shikamaru smiled faintly, his eyes still firmly closed. "Shoot."

Neji inhaled deeply, activating his dojutsu to quickly scan the area. When he didn't detect anyone, he deactivated the Byakugan and took several steps toward Shikamaru. "A few days ago," Neji whispered. "I was summoned to Naruto-sama's office to discuss a mission. He told me that a woman from the examiners council was coming to the village to assist in the organization process. My orders were to meet her at a teahouse along the main road and escort her back to the village, where I would serve as her guide."

"Why you?" Shikamaru asked, finally opening his eyes. "That's a Genin level mission."

"That's exactly what I said," Neji agreed. "In explanation, Naruto-sama informed me that Moon-Lee is not who she appears to be. When the exam council sent Moon-Lee's personnel file, Uchiha noticed gaps in her background information. And then, when he was presented with an image of her, he recognized her immediately."

Neji glanced around again before stepping even closer to Shikamaru, who was listening with rapture, his dark eyes sharply focused.

"She used to be an Akatsuki supplier." Neji said as softly as he could. "According to Uchiha, she dealt with both Akatsuki and Orochimaru, and was an avid supporter of both. On top of that, she also happens to be a high-ranking Jounin. Even Uchiha said that she was strong."

Shikamaru's expression was grim. Any mention of the Akatsuki caused a dull pain to flare up in his stomach: a twisting memory of loss.

"What did she supply them with?"

"Weapons and food, mostly." Neji replied. "But she was basically an errand-runner. She'd get them anything they needed."

"Weird," Shikamaru muttered, leaning his head against the pillar once more. "She seemed so…normal. Nice even."

"She must be a very good actress."

"Hm," Shikamaru hummed thoughtfully. "So what, we're just supposed to plan the exams like nothing's wrong while keeping an eye on her?"

"Basically, yes."

"What a drag." Shikamaru moaned. "That's going to make this even more annoying."

"Indeed." Neji agreed. "But I have my squad to help us watch her. Hinata has also offered her assistance, and I agreed. The more eyes we have on her, the better."

"Jeez," Shikamaru grumbled, his eyelids drooping. "What the hell is Naruto doing, letting some crazy woman hang around in the village?"

Neji was silent for a moment. "I did ask him, but he never gave me a straightforward answer. I suspect he wants to have her here, where he can keep a close eye on her."

"Either that, or he's just curious about her." Shikamaru snorted. "That wouldn't surprise me. Or, knowing him, he's probably hoping that being around two _super_ guys like us will make her see the error in her ways."

A flicker of a smile touched Neji's lips. "I won't say that's not a possibility."

Shikamaru exhaled loudly. "Well, fuck, this entire mission just got a lot more troublesome. I mean, seriously, a prominent Akatsuki supporter right here in the village? I don't like it, Neji."

"Nor do I, but this is the way thing are." Neji sighed. "No doubt Naruto-sama has some elaborate plan that he has yet to inform us about."

Shikamaru suddenly sat upright, his tired eyes snapping to Neji's as he said in a low voice, "Hey, do you think she might have had something to do with the attack on Naruto earlier today?"

Neji frowned slightly. "I suppose it's possible. But what would she hope to achieve by doing such a thing? She seemed genuinely excited to meet Naruto-sama. And Uchiha."

"Maybe she's just really into scary-powerful dudes." Shikamaru offered.

Neji smiled. "Maybe. Naruto-sama and Uchiha definitely both fall into the category of _'scary-powerful dudes'_."

"So that's it then, mystery solved." Shikamaru drawled, waving his fingers in mock celebration. "She's not a baddie, she just has a weird fetish. Case closed."

"If only it was that easy." Neji said, resisting the urge to laugh. "I suspect she has other plans in coming here."

Shikamaru was silent for a moment, apparently lost in thought. Then he said, "Well, no matter what happens, it's up to us to stop her. It's troublesome, but I don't want to get anyone else involved in this shit."

"Agreed."

"Good." Shikamaru said as he stood, joints cracking as he stretched. "Anyways, if that's all the shocking news you have, I think I'll head back to bed."

"That's everything." Neji said, watching as Shikamaru slowly tottered across the porch towards his bedroom. After a moment of hesitation, he called out, "Good night, Shikamaru."

With one hand on the doorframe, Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder. The night seemed to cling to him, contouring his already angular face with dark, mysterious shadows. He momentarily observed Neji, his shadowy eyes unreadable. And then he cracked a tired smile, voice drifting softly as he replied.

"G'night, Neji."

And then he stepped over the threshold, swallowed up by the darkness even before he slid the door shut behind him.

Neji turned away with a pang of guilt. He knew that, after what he had told Shikamaru, there was no way that the Nara would be getting any more sleep tonight.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In summary: Naruto and Sasuke are gross, Shikamaru wants everyone to leave him alone, and Neji has...feelings.

Chapter 4

* * *

 

It was very late. Naruto knew that much with certainty, although he had no idea what time it was exactly.

He had been standing under the archway that led into the garden for a long while, his mind blank and eyes unfocused as he stared at the distant porch light. Above his head, the locator mark for his teleportation jutsu hummed gently. A faint trace of Naruto's chakra still lived within it, like an old memory almost forgotten.

Where he stood, Naruto's body was half inside the barrier that surrounded his and Sasuke's home. He distracted himself by running his mind over the barrier wall, checking its strength. Although it was invisible to the naked eye, the barrier stood as imposing and impenetrable as a mighty fortress.

It was a testament of Naruto's immense power, and a monument to his inescapable weakness.

Finally, Naruto stirred, heaving a long sigh before stepping through the barrier completely. The gravel on the path crunched loudly under his feet, a familiar sound of homecoming that Sasuke would surely hear. Naruto's bright blue eyes shifted upwards as he sensed movement within the house. Feeling a slight twinge of nerves at the thought of what awaited him inside, Naruto jumped up the steps, alighting upon the porch with surprising softness.

After inhaling a long, slow breath through his nose, the Hokage opened his front door.

Light spilled out into the garden, but nothing else. The silence was heavy as Naruto paused on the threshold, his gaze pointedly trained towards the tile floor in the entryway. He knew he was in trouble, and like a child, he found himself too ashamed to look at Sasuke's face. Still looking down, Naruto closed the door slowly behind himself and turned to carefully lock it, all the while feeling Sasuke's eyes boring into the back of his head.

After a slight pause, Naruto turned, finally lifting his eyes.

The first thing Naruto registered was Sasuke's tightly folded arms. His Black Ops uniform was tattered and burnt at the front. Sasuke's skin, visible through the ruined fabric, was covered in angry red burns. Naruto felt a pang of guilt so painful that it stole his breath. In his worry, Sasuke hadn't thought to change out of his scorched uniform or see to his wounds.

Naruto swallowed loudly. "Sasuke, I -"

"Why do you do this?" Sasuke interrupted.

His voice wasn't angry, but it carried echoes of sadness and pain that cut into Naruto more than a sharp tongue would have.

"Do what?" Naruto asked, his deep voice booming in the silence.

"This." Sasuke replied. "Disappear. Vanish. Hide from me. Hide things _from_ me."

Naruto didn't say anything. He simply continued to stare at Sasuke's folded arms, watching as the cord-like muscles beneath his burnt skin tensed.

"Gods, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, finally giving in to his emotions. Sasuke felt his face getting red as anger and hurt rushed through him like a tidal wave. "How many times do we have to fight about this? Why can't you just _trust_ me? Why can't you stop hiding? Why can't you just let me in, Naruto?"

His eyes burning, Naruto finally looked up. He noticed Sasuke tense under his gaze but he ignored it, stepping forward to grasp Sasuke's hand.

Surprised by the sudden gesture, Sasuke didn't react as Naruto unfolded his arms, examining the damage he had done. After a long moment of silence, Naruto sighed.

"Because of this." Naruto said, low and gentle. "Because this isn't the first time I've burned you, and it probably won't be the last."

He carefully turned Sasuke's pale hands, blue eyes falling onto the scars that marked Sasuke's wrists; the places where the chains had cut into him when Kou had held him captive. Naruto's eyebrows met in a deep frown.

"And because of these." Naruto whispered, running his thumbs over the scars, still new enough to be slightly pink.

Sasuke watched, heart screaming in pain and yearning, as Naruto bowed his head so low that his chin rested upon his chest. His warm fingers gently traced a line on Sasuke's thigh, his sad blue eyes seeing through fabric to the large scar on Sasuke's leg as he whispered, "And this, too."

The blond reached up and around to Sasuke's back, his fingers tracing the bottom of the long, jagged scar that ran from Sasuke's shoulder to wrap across his ribs. "And this."

Naruto looked up, gaze melding with Sasuke's as he reached up again, this time resting his gentle hand over Sasuke's heart.

"But mostly because of this." Naruto concluded. "Because you are too precious to me. You don't understand how much it kills me that you're always the one who gets hurt. And it's always because of me. Hell, I'm usually the one who fucking hurts you."

Sasuke felt a renewed rush of muddled emotion. He clenched his eyes shut, breaking the fusion of their gazes as he said, "Naruto, I _chose_ this. I know what it means to stay by your side. But _this_ " - he waved his burnt arms through the air – "hurts me so much less than _this_ does. This fucking secrecy. This back and forth game we have going on here. Your inability to trust anyone else with your burdens or your emotions. You can't keep trying to do it all alone, Naruto. You're only human."

"Am I?" Naruto asked, allowing his hand to fall.

"What?"

"Am I human, Sasuke?" Naruto growled. "Maybe I'm wrong, but most humans don't randomly burst into fucking flame! Most humans don't have giant demons living inside them! Most humans don't live in constant fucking _terror_ that they'll lose control and hurt everyone that matters to them. Most people…most people…"

"Most people aren't you." Sasuke replied. " _Nobody_ is like you. I can't even imagine the shit you have to deal with, Naruto, but you need to realize that it isn't easy for the rest of us either."

Heavy silence fell, almost tangible in the air between them. Sasuke carefully studied the top of Naruto's bowed head. All the while, Sasuke's emotions continued to perform a complex dance that had his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Before he fell in love with Naruto, Sasuke wouldn't have believed it was possible to feel so many different emotions all at once.

Naruto suddenly spoke, in a low timbre that made Sasuke shiver. "I'm sorry."

Eyebrows pinching in pain, Sasuke sighed. "Raise your head, Naruto. Please."

Naruto glanced up, the shadow of something dark lurking behind his eyes. "I hate keeping secrets from you. But I hate hurting you more, you know?"

"I know what I signed up for, Naruto." Sasuke said. "Being with you is painful. I mean shit, Naruto, loving you has almost killed me. Several times."

Here Sasuke paused, studying Naruto's familiar face as he pondered his next words. Finally, with slightly red cheeks, Sasuke continued.

"But not being with you? It's like trying to breathe water." He laughed once, a sharp, humorless sound. "I am literally drowning in you."

Naruto looked up, and Sasuke was struck by how true those words were. Those eyes, two drops of blue so vivid they made even the brightest summer sky look grey, pulled him in instantly. And in that instant, nothing else seemed to matter. Nothing else even existed. And it terrified Sasuke to the very core of his being.

With trembling fingers, Sasuke rested his hand on Naruto's warm arm, trying to smile as he said in a pleading voice, "It's a good thing I know how to swim, but I'd still be grateful if you threw me a life raft."

Naruto's eyes glistened. "You knew something was up earlier. I know you noticed that the grass around me by the river was new. Why didn't you say anything?"

Sasuke exhaled slowly. "I was so relieved to see you, to see that you were okay, that I honestly didn't care enough to ask. Anyways, things grow like crazy around you when you meditate. It seemed stupid to even ask about it."

Naruto shook his head. "But you _knew_. And I knew that you knew. But I didn't fess up…Sasuke, that weird thing with my chakra happened twice today. And it's happened a few times before."

Sasuke frowned, concern pinching the corners of his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"Honestly? Because I'm scared, you know." Naruto admitted. "I have no idea why this is happening, or how to stop it, or what's going to happen if I can't stop it. I need to be in control of my chakra at all times, or bad things will happen."

After a long moment of concerned scrutiny, Sasuke shook his head slightly. "There's no use in talking about this any more tonight. It's late."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry."

"I know you are, moron. But you really have to stop doing this to me. I swear, the next time you run away from me when things get difficult, I'll hunt you down and kill you."

Naruto cracked a smile at that. "Okay.

"Okay." Sasuke sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Now, can we please go to bed?"

"Yeah, be right there." Naruto replied, scrambling to take off his sandals. Then he paused, glancing at Sasuke's retreating back. His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, "If it helps, Sasuke: I'm drowning in you, too."

Sasuke stopped, turning to smile sadly over his shoulder.

That expression was enough to make Naruto catch his breath. Even when he was burnt and exhausted, Sasuke was still the most gorgeous thing Naruto had even seen.

Sasuke turned to face him as Naruto made his way down the hall. Without a word, Naruto leaned down to kiss Sasuke, softer than the sun on a spring morning. Sasuke could sense the questions in that gesture – he answered them by returning Naruto's gentle kiss. When he pulled away, Sasuke's mouth whispered across Naruto's throat, his voice low and soft as he offered forgiveness.

Naruto frowned, feeling undeserving of this gesture. But when Sasuke took his hand, the blond allowed himself to be led into their bedroom, and shut the door behind them.

* * *

 

Sasuke was awoken by bright, golden light pressing against his eyelids. With watering eyes, he lifted his lashes slowly, blinking against the brightness. It took him a moment to realize that it was still dark outside, so the offending light was not coming from the sun.

And then, the distinct lack of discomfort drew his attention to his forearms. Raising them slowly, Sasuke couldn't help but smile as he examined his smooth, uninjured skin. It seemed that Naruto had went through the effort of healing him when he slept.

Still smiling sleepily, Sasuke glanced over at Naruto – and bolted upright.

The blonde was sleeping on his stomach, the sheets low around his naked hips. And there, anchored in his shoulder blades, was the source of the golden light: two shimmering, iridescent wings. They were so massive that the one sprouting from Naruto's left shoulder covered the entire bed like a dome of warmth. The other trailed across the ground towards the door.

After the shock and the urge to wake Naruto had passed, Sasuke examined the wings in fascination. As Sasuke stared at the wings, they slowly became more defined. After a few minutes, he could distinctly make out individual feathers, each one more detailed than the last.

Naruto had told him once that his spirit form had wings, as all wind natured spirits did. But Sasuke didn't think it was possible for Naruto to manifest this particular aspect of his being outside the veil. Sasuke's tired mind began working furiously. Perhaps the "wings" were simply made out of Naruto's pure Jinchuuriki chakra, which he had been using to heal Sasuke's wounds. Naruto might have fallen asleep while it was active, and it was now mirroring a form within Naruto's subconscious.

_"Or perhaps,"_ Sasuke realized, _"I'm just dreaming."_

That was surely the answer. It was the only explanation. Intending to confirm this theory, Sasuke reached out to touch the wing that hovered above him, expecting his hand to meet only empty air.

He jolted in surprise when his fingers brushed against something solid, warm, and _feathery_. The wing shuddered slightly in response to his touch. The muscles in Naruto's shoulder tensed before he stirred and rolled onto his side, but didn't wake.

Sasuke continued to stare, transfixed, as the shimmering wings began to change shape. The dome of gold above him gathered together into an indistinct blob, hovering for a moment as if unsure. But then, feather transformed into fur, tails cut through the air, and Sasuke found himself face-to-face with a golden Kurama.

For several seconds the fox stared at him. And then, almost to say that he was just as confused as Sasuke, Kurama tilted his head to the side, his ears twitching. Sasuke glanced back at Naruto, who slept soundly. His deep, steady breathing made his muscular back rise and fall slowly. Sasuke's tired eyes fixed on the muscles that rippled over his ribcage.

The muscles stretched under his skin with every slow inhale.

In and out, in and out. In…and out…

When Sasuke awoke, he had no recollection of how or when he had fallen asleep. But for reasons he couldn't quite remember, he felt extremely uneasy – a feeling that stuck by him until Naruto walked into their bedroom with Sasuke's morning coffee in hand.

"Morning, Captain." Naruto saluted with the mug, grinning.

Sasuke scoffed, but smiled despite himself, his uneasiness already forgotten.

* * *

 

Shikamaru had a headache.

A massive, throbbing, irritating headache. It had started when Neji visited him and persisted through the night, getting steadily worse as Shikamaru had lain awake, his mind furiously working.

But now his mind was relatively quiet. For the past hour, he had been watching the sliver of light that squeezed under his door slowly advancing towards his futon. Tearing his eyes away, he glared at his alarm clock. The time read 7:44.

_"I'm going to kill you, Hyuga."_ Shikamaru thought, scowling at the empty room. _"Why couldn't you have told me that crap this morning? And no doubt you slept like a fucking baby. Troublesome bastard."_

Still scowling, Shikamaru glanced back at his clock. Stifling a groan, Shikamaru slowly rolled to the edge of his futon, stretching one long arm over to turn off the alarm before it sounded. And then, cursing loudly, he rolled off his futon onto the floor.

"Son of a-"

The distant sound of knocking on the front door stopped him mid-curse. It was a soft knock, unobtrusive and apprehensive. That alone cut the list of possible intruders in half. Shikamaru continued to lie on the floor, willing whomever was knocking to give up quickly and go away.

They knocked again, louder this time.

"What a drag." Shikamaru mumbled, groaning again as he pulled himself upright.

Throwing his blankets back onto the futon, Shikamaru meandered over to his bedroom door. The morning light was unpleasantly bright after the darkness of his room. He squinted angrily, eyes watering as he traipsed down the hallway towards the front door. When he had almost reached it, the person knocked again.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Shikamaru called.

Already prepared to glared at and scare off whoever was bothering him this early in the morning, Shikamaru yanked open the door.

Hinata stood on the other side, her small fist still raised mid-knock, her eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. Immediately, her gaze swept over Shikamaru and her face turned bright red.

"S-sorry, Shikamaru-kun." She stuttered, quickly averting her eyes. "I d-didn't mean to wake you."

Raising his eyebrows, Shikamaru spared a quick glance at himself. Having just literally rolled out of bed, all he was wearing was a pair of tattered old sweatpants that hung low on his hips. His torso was completely bare, and he was displaying a bit too much of the trail of hair that started at his belly button and travelled directly south. His feet were bare, and although he couldn't see it, Shikamaru guessed that his hair was a complete mess as well.

_"Oh well,"_ He thought as he pulled up his pants. _"At least it's just Hinata. Could've been worse. Could've been Ino."_

"Don't worry about it." He finally said. "I wasn't asleep anyways."

Ever a creature of painful reserve, Hinata continued to pointedly look away from him as she said, "Still, I shouldn't have come so early in the morning. I'm sorry."

Shikamaru leaned against the doorframe, suppressing a sigh with difficulty. "Hinata, it's seriously okay. So, what's up?"

The heiress tucked a lock of midnight black hair behind her little ear, still burning red from her blush.

_"Cute."_ Shikamaru thought, his mood lightening slightly.

"I know that Neji nii-san filled you in on the mission Naruto-sama gave him last night." Hinata said, her gentle voice soothing in the morning light. "He came home quite late, and he seemed somewhat…upset. Did you two fight?"

She leveled Shikamaru with a questioning, un-accusing glance. He fidgeted.

"No, we didn't fight. Well, we did, but not last night. Although, I did hit him with my Shadow Possession. He didn't really like that." Shikamaru muttered awkwardly.

For a moment, those lavender eyes studied him carefully. Then Hinata said, "I think Neji nii-san felt guilty for having to tell you about Ms. Moon-Lee last night. He said he wished you didn't have to participate in this mission."

Shikamaru scoffed. "Of course he said that. He probably figures he could do it all himself."

Hinata's eyes widened as she shook her head, dark hair shimmering as it caught the sunlight. "No, you're wrong! Although he's never told me, I know Neji nii-san likes you, Shikamaru. He finds you interesting. That might not seem like much, but Neji nii-san rarely thinks _anyone_ is interesting. I believe he wishes you didn't have to participate because he knows how much work you have already."

Shikamaru stared at Hinata in disbelief. "Wait, hold on. You lost me at 'Neji likes you'."

"Yes?" Hinata's eyebrows pinched together slightly.

"The two of us have never gotten along, Hinata." Shikamaru scoffed. "He's always telling me off for some reason or another."

"Just as he frequently scolds me." Hinata returned confidently. "It is his way of showing concern, Shikamaru-kun. If Neji nii-san didn't like you, he wouldn't say anything."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to reply, but quickly stopped himself. After a moment, he raised his eyebrows. What Hinata was saying made sense.

"Well shit." Shikamaru muttered. "Now I feel bad for telling him to go to hell every time he tells me to tuck in my shirt or something."

Hinata giggled nervously.

"He enjoys your sense of humor." She admitted. "Sometimes he tells me about things you said when we spar together, and then we both get scolded for laughing."

"Neji laughs?"

A hint of sadness touched Hinata's voice as she replied, "Yes, sometimes. Neji nii-san can be difficult to understand, but he is very loyal to those he cares about. You are one of the few people he considers a friend, Shikamaru-kun. Please continue to look after him from now on."

She inclined her head slightly. Shikamaru returned the gesture.

After a long moment of silence, Shikamaru asked, "So, is that all you came here to tell me?"

"Oh, no!" Hinata said, blushing again. "Forgive me, I got sidetracked. No, I came here to tell you that I'm in charge of watching over Ms. Moon-Lee today. Naruto-sama wants you and Neji nii-san to get started on the plans for the Chunin exams as soon as possible."

"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed. "I don't suppose you know where I'm supposed to meet Neji?"

"No, sorry." Hinata said, "But I'm sure Neji nii-san will find you. He's already been awake for hours."

"Great." Shikamaru drawled.

Hinata smiled nervously. "One more thing, Shikamaru-kun. Ino-chan wanted me to tell you that we're all going out for drinks tonight. She's training her team today so she couldn't tell you herself, but s-she wanted me to tell you…t-that she'd k-kick your b-b-butt if you don't come."

Shikamaru stared in disbelief. "Incredible. I don't think I've ever heard you say 'butt' before. That's shocking, Hinata."

"Shikamaru-kun!" Hinata squeaked, blushing again.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll stop teasing you." Shikamaru smirked, holding up his hands as if surrendering. "I'll see you tonight then, okay? Have fun babysitting what's-her-name."

"Okay," Hinata smiled. "See you later then."

Shikamaru continued to lean on the doorframe as he watched the heiress glide down the path, disappearing as she turned onto the road. As soon as she was out of sight, Shikamaru smiled. A feeling of warmth fluttered in his stomach as he turned, shutting the door behind him.

"So Neji harps on me because we're friends?" Shikamaru asked the empty house. "That sounds almost troublesome enough to be true."

Shikamaru's mood was significantly lighter, but a sudden painful jab from his headache reminded him of his sleepless night. He had to hurry up and find Neji to get started on the plans for the exams. If the Hyuga had already been awake for hours, he was bound to get impatient soon and come crashing through Shikamaru's door.

Shikamaru smothered a smirk at the thought.

He set about preparing himself for the day, all the while thinking that he would march straight to the nearest teahouse, order the largest and strongest coffee they had, and wait for Neji to find him.

That is, of course, until there was a knock on the door. Assuming Hinata had forgotten to tell him something, Shikamaru called for her to come in over his shoulder. Without glancing behind, he continued walking to his bedroom, sliding open the paneled doors to let in the sunlight. He stooped down to yank the sheets straighter on his futon, nodding to himself at their fractionally neater appearance.

At the sound of footsteps he turned, expecting to see Hinata. But the figure that appeared instead made Shikamaru freeze. Neji stood in Shikamaru's doorway wearing his flowing, crisply white robes. The sunlight gleamed around him, framing him in gold. That strange, warm fluttering reappeared in Shikamaru's stomach. He scowled.

"First Hinata, now you?" Shikamaru muttered, rubbing at his throbbing temple. "It's like I'm the president of the Hyuga fan club."

Neji didn't seem to hear him – he was staring at Shikamaru's chest.

Shikamaru stared down at himself with raised eyebrows.

"What?" He asked, confused by Neji's open scrutiny.

Neji shook his head fractionally. Although he had seen them last night, Neji found Shikamaru's scars even more alarming in the light of day. For a moment he continued to map them, noting their locations. One of them went directly through Shikamaru's birthmark, effectively slicing it in half: Neji felt a sudden urge to reach out and brush his fingers along it.

He shook his head again, sharply this time, as if to clear it. "Forgive me." Neji said, his smooth tones masking his thoughts. "I've never noticed your scars before."

"Oh," Shikamaru said awkwardly, examining himself again. "Yeah, I guess I've got one or two. But these are nothing. Have you _seen_ that scar on Sasuke's back? That thing is brutal."

"I happened to see it once." Neji replied, relieved that Shikamaru wasn't angry with him for staring. "It is rather alarming."

Shikamaru continued talking as he resumed getting dressed. "Makes my eyes water just looking at it. And poor Naruto, it must feel like a kick in the stomach every time he sees it."

With an evident lack of modesty, Shikamaru stripped off his sweatpants, revealing that he was completely naked underneath. Neji jolted in surprise, quickly turning so that he was facing the garden. Feeling his cheeks burning, Neji could only hum in response. Apparently unaware of the reaction he had caused, Shikamaru continued to muse behind him.

"Speaking of Naruto, can you imagine how many scars he'd have if he didn't burn his skin off and regrow it once a month? I mean, we've all got scars. It's a total drag, but it goes along with our line of work." Shikamaru cast a curious glance towards Neji, who now had his back to Shikamaru. "I'm sure you've got a bunch of them."

"Are you implying that I am frequently injured?" Neji replied, risking a quick glance over his shoulder. He was relieved to discover that Shikamaru had found his way into his Jounin pants and, hopefully, underwear. Neji resisted the urge to activate his Byakugan to check.

"Yeah, 'cause you're so weak." Shikamaru said sarcastically. He stooped over, hunting for a shirt in a pile of clean laundry. His hair, still loose from its ponytail, slid smoothly over his shoulder. Shikamaru shuddered.

"Ugh," He groaned, abandoning the hunt for a shirt in favour of tying back his hair instead. "Hate it when it touches me. Honestly Hyuga, how can you stand having your hair touching you all the time?"

"I suppose I'm used to it." Neji replied, trying not to laugh as he watched Shikamaru viciously tugging the strands of hair away from his neck. "If it bothers you so much, why not cut it?"

His hair now secured in its ponytail, Shikamaru resumed his shirt hunt. "You have to cut short hair more often. Too much effort. Couldn't be bothered. Where the hell are all my shirts?"

Neji was smiling. When Shikamaru was in this kind of mood, talking to him always put Neji at ease. When the Nara genius finally found what he was looking for and turned towards Neji, Shikamaru's eyes immediately caught Neji's attention. The dark shadows had not lessened at all since yesterday. If anything, Shikamaru looked even more exhausted than before.

While Shikamaru was distracted putting on his shirt, Neji silently activated his Byakugan. As soon as he saw Shikamaru's chakra network, a twinge of concern gripped Neji's stomach. Shikamaru's chakra was seriously weakened. It looked sluggish and unstable – almost sick.

He deactivated his dojutsu before Shikamaru could catch him looking.

"Did you sleep after I left last night?" Neji asked cautiously.

Shikamaru stopped halfway through putting on his Jounin vest to glare at him. "No, actually. Thanks for reminding me."

Neji kept his face blank and unapologetic, but he felt a sharp pang of guilt. _"At least we're just sitting down and starting the planning phase today."_ Neji thought. _"It shouldn't exhaust him too much."_

"That reminds me." Shikamaru continued, securing his various weapon pouches. "New team rule: if I don't sleep, you don't sleep. We can be miserable together."

"That hardly seems fair."

"No? That's fine." Shikamaru drawled, spreading his arms out to show that he was ready to go. "Let's get this over with."

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fan-fucking-tastic." Shikamaru drawled.

Chapter 5

* * *

 

Several hours bending over stacks of paper proved too much for Shikamaru.

He had led the way to his favourite teahouse - a tiny establishment run by an elderly couple who were aware of Shikamaru's introspective nature. Moments after Shikamaru had strolled into the vacant back room and routinely picked a corner table, the old lady had appeared with a tray of tea and a softly spoken promise to return in an hour to collect it.

Precisely one hour later, she had retrieved the tea set. After that, they were completely undisturbed.

They spoke briefly, dividing their many tasks and loosely discussing plans for the exams, but since then they had worked in silence. The distant hum of voices from the teahouse's other rooms was enough to keep the silence from feeling oppressive. Occasionally, the sound of Shikamaru's steadily moving pen would stop, and Neji would glance up through his lashes to watch the tactician. Shikamaru would shut his eyes and crab his hands, body going still while his mind worked. And then he would open his eyes, reclaim his pen, and resume his lazy scribbling.

But his pen had lain silently on the table for a while now.

Neji let out a small sigh as he put down his own pen, leaning away from the table to stretch the tension out of his back and arms. His stiff muscles groaned in protest, causing Neji to grimace as he looked around the room.

He could see why this was Shikamaru's favourite teahouse. It was quiet, and close enough to the Nara district that most of the patrons were from the Nara Clan. The room Shikamaru had chosen only had four tables, all of which were empty, save for the shogi boards that seemed to be permanent fixtures.

Finally, Neji's eyes wandered over to Shikamaru. The genius' head rested in the crook of his darkly clothed arm, his face hidden from the sunlight as he slept. His jagged ponytail stuck straight up, the strands lightened from espresso black to a warm, coppery brown by the sun.

His fingers, resting on top of his stack of paperwork, twitched slightly. Neji turned his attention to them, combing his gaze along those strong, nimble appendages. The nails were blunt and slightly dirty; the olive skin rough with callouses. An ink stain darkened Shikamaru's index finger, just bellow his knuckle.

Feeling slightly sleepy himself, Neji examined his own hands. Since his hands were usually the only weapons Neji needed, his palms were smoother and less calloused than his sword or kunai-toting comrades. And since the Gentle Fist techniques allowed him to protect himself with chakra even while attacking, he had very few scars on his hands. When he compared his hands to someone like Lee, who often fought hard enough to literally mangle his own fists, Neji always felt like he was lacking something. It was as if his hands were _too_ smooth: soft and supple where his comrades' were hardened into a callous of strength.

He glanced back up at Shikamaru's hand, studying it meticulously. It was only when he registered a shift in Shikamaru's breathing that he looked up.

Two dark eyes, unreadable and secretive, returned his gaze. For a moment, they stared at each other in silence. Neji could almost see Shikamaru's eyes churning with his thoughts, the turmoil of his genius seeping into his shifting irises.

There was something about Shikamaru's eyes that had always fascinated Neji.

To most people, they were just ordinary brown eyes. But Neji had noticed long ago how drastically they changed. They were golden as honey in the sun, black as a moonless night in the shade. Those eyes both intrigued and frightened Neji. He was the one with the Byakugan, and yet Neji felt as if Shikamaru could see inside of people more easily than he could.

He quickly looked away before those intelligent orbs could pull him in.

Neji swallowed, distracting himself by shuffling through his papers. "I feel obligated to apologize for scolding you yesterday. It was unprofessional of me to question your respect for the Hokage. I crossed the line."

Shikamaru didn't respond. Neji could feel those sharp eyes studying his face, but he refused to look up. He contented himself with smoothing out the creases in his robes, trying to appear unfazed by Shikamaru's silence.

Finally, Shikamaru seemed to stir himself, his voice thick and low with tiredness as he replied, "Don't worry about it."

Neji nodded once. "Very well. Did you finish writing the first draft for the exam before you fell asleep?

Shikamaru yawned widely, gesturing at the papers spread out on the table in front of him. Neji reached over to collect them, his opal eyes widening as he looked through the messy pages.

"Ridiculous." He finally scoffed. "If any of those children answer even one of these questions correctly, they should automatically pass. Your brain is a frightening place, Nara."

"I aim to please." Shikamaru drawled, planting his elbow on the table as he leaned his chin into the palm of his hand.

Shaking his head, Neji continued to read through the questions, each one more complex and confusing than the last. It was like looking through a window into Shikamaru's mind. Neji suppressed a shudder. Even he didn't know how to answer the majority of the questions.

"Hey." Shikamaru suddenly said.

Neji hummed, glancing up.

Shikamaru's expression was unreadable as he said; "Ino is making me go out for drinks with everyone tonight. You have to come too."

Frowning slightly, Neji replied, "I don't drink."

"Well I sure as hell do." Shikamaru drawled. "If I have to attend this thing, I at least want some decent company. It'll be a drag, but come if you don't have work."

Much to his horror, Neji felt his pale cheeks flush slightly. But he kept his voice rigid and cold as he said, "I will attempt to make an appearance."

And then, Shikamaru did the most damning thing he could possibly do: he smiled. It was a small, relieved smile that lightened his jaded expression. The shadows seemed to melt away from his eyes, his thin cheeks dimpling slightly. For the first time, Neji noticed that Shikamaru had faint freckles on his nose. Presumably from hours spent lying under the sun, watching the clouds roll by.

Feeling his entire face getting hot, Neji abruptly stood. Hiding his face behind the thick fall of his hair, Neji bent to quickly collect his papers. He turned stiffly, marching towards the door without a backwards glance.

His breath caught in his throat when he heard Shikamaru stand. The genius called out, confusion obvious in his voice.

"Hey, Neji! What's wrong?"

Pausing with his hand on the door, Neji inhaled slowly through his nose. Without turning, his back rigid with tension, Neji replied coldly, "Forgive me, I just remembered that I have another appointment. Good work today. Farewell."

He opened the door and stepped into the hallway, sliding the door shut without looking back. With fevered steps he traversed the short hall, leaving the teahouse and immediately turning towards the side streets that would lead him away from the heart of the village.

Neji's breath grew more rapid with each step, his heart racing as he took a familiar path towards a looming forest of shadowed trees. He didn't pause until the sounds of the village had completely faded. And then, certain he was alone, Neji stumbled against the closest tree. He covered his blushing face with his papers, his stoic façade completely shattered.

"Gods, what the hell is wrong with me?" He whispered.

Shikamaru's smiling face flashed through Neji's mind, and he felt his pulse quickening. It wasn't as if Neji had never seen the blasted Nara smile before, so why was it eliciting a reaction from him now? Confusion, and something else that Neji couldn't identify, were coiling around one another inside his chest. The feeling was so hot and uncomfortable that Neji had to concentrate hard to steady his breathing.

Just as he was finally regaining control of himself, a soft sound from the left broke the silence. Neji's body reacted instantaneously. He was a blur of speed as he spun, chakra coating his hands as his fingers latched around a slender neck. Before Neji could register what he was doing, he was on the ground straddling his perceived attacker: one hand clasped firmly around their throat, the other hand poised to strike at vital chakra points.

He blinked twice, staring blankly at the person beneath him. And then, Neji's muddled brain caught up with his body.

Shikamaru was staring up at him, his dark eyes utterly calm. He offered no resistance, his pulse slow and steady under the tight press of Neji's fingers on his throat.

His complacency was strange to Neji. Without knowing why, the Hyuga found himself studying Shikamaru's mouth. His pulse was pounding in his ears as his gaze stroked along Shikamaru's bottom lip, and then down his throat, where Neji's hand was still clasped.

Seeming to realize suddenly what he was doing, Neji let out a small gasp of horror and quickly drew back his hand.

With surprising speed and strength, Shikamaru caught him around the wrist. Shikamaru's elbow bent as he yanked Neji down roughly, leaves crunching as Neji's palm struck the ground beside Shikamaru's head. The thick curtain of Neji's hair fell down on the other side of Shikamaru's head, casting their faces in shadow. Neji automatically put down his other hand to balance himself, his palm landing on Shikamaru's chest.

Heavy silence, thick with awkward tension, fell over their tangled bodies. But Neji didn't try to move away: he was captivated by the expression on Shikamaru's face.

Deep within his eyes, Neji thought he saw the spark of something dangerous. Hungry. His gaze once again drifted to Shikamaru's mouth as the strategist began to speak.

"That was dramatic."

"You startled me." Neji hissed breathlessly.

"That's my line."

"Why did you follow me?"

"Follow you?" Shikamaru raised one dark eyebrow, smirking slightly. "This is the way to my house."

The colour drained from Neji's face. Shikamaru frowned, his grip on Neji's wrist loosening slightly as he tilted his head.

"Listen, Neji, are you okay? You're acting weird."

"How so?" Neji demanded.

Shikamaru looked down pointedly. Neji was still sitting heavily on his hipbones, his strong thighs holding Shikamaru firmly in place. Their faces were less than a foot apart as Shikamaru replied in a monotone drawl.

"Let's see. You stormed out of the teahouse looking like you were about to faint, stumbled off into the trees, and then attacked me."

Neji scoffed, yanking his wrist out of Shikamaru's grip so that he could sit up straight. But he didn't give up his position yet – pinning Shikamaru down somehow made this entire situation less embarrassing. Shikamaru had seen Neji in a moment of unacceptable weakness, so it was only fair that Neji took a moment to assert his strength.

"You startled me." Neji repeated coldly. "I will not apologize for my reaction."

Shikamaru frowned slightly, his expression darkening. "I'm not asking you to. I'm just worried about you, Neji."

"Your petty concern is unnecessary." Neji hissed, leaning down over Shikamaru's prone body.

"Very believable." Shikamaru muttered. His eyes strayed down again. "Get off me Neji. I'm starting to get pissed."

Neji smirked, fingers on the hand still resting on Shikamaru's ribs pressing into his skin hard enough to bruise. He felt Shikamaru's pulse quicken slightly.

"I tremble at the thought," Neji goaded.

Being defensive was easier than acknowledging the mess of confusing emotions trying to rip a hole through his chest. He knew he was being ridiculous, but for some reason Neji's brain and his body seemed to have two separate agendas.

His fingers latched even deeper into Shikamaru's skin, dangerous chakra glowing just under his fingertips. He knew he was causing Shikamaru significant discomfort – the Nara genius' muscles twitched and shuddered under his touch – and yet Shikamaru continued to deny Neji a response.

He was utterly calm. Effortlessly controlled.

Neji hated him for it.

Hated him as much as a caged bird that looks out at the deer roaming freely through the trees: his heart festering with the rot of confinement as he watched that silent creature, drifting calmly through the shadows.

Shikamaru's voice pulled him away from these dangerous thoughts.

"I don't know what the hell is going on, Neji, but I'm not judging you." Shikamaru said, his voice low. "We all have our off days. And…well, not to get all sappy and weird about it, but if you need to talk about anything…I'll listen."

Neji stared, dumbfounded.

A gentle breeze blew over them, catching the ends of Neji's long hair and dragging several strands across Shikamaru's throat. They delicately traced the angry red marks Neji's hand had left on his skin. Frowning, and feeling suddenly remorseful, Neji reached up with the hand that had been worrying Shikamaru's side.

Ever so gently, Neji brushed the ends of his hair away from Shikamaru's neck. He then paused, hesitating momentarily, before carefully stroking his fingers across the red marks he had left on Shikamaru's throat.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

Shikamaru's features softened. He turned his face towards Neji's hand so that his jaw rested on his knuckles.

"I've had worse." Shikamaru replied.

Neji shook his head slightly; frown deepening as he stroked the pad of his thumb over Shikamaru's skin. He felt Shikamaru's pulse hitch under his touch.

Both men inhaled sharply. Their gazes met – and held.

Shikamaru swallowed nervously under Neji's fingers, his mind flashing through several alarming thoughts simultaneously.

Growing up in the ninja academy, there were extensive lessons centered around the skills of survival. Building shelters, navigating, treating wounds, and finding food: things that were drilled into the minds of the young shinobi long before they were taught how to fight. In order to fight, you have to know how to survive.

But one thing in particular had always stuck in Shikamaru's mind.

In the event that you are stranded somewhere with below-freezing temperatures, a single candle can save your life. Iruka-sensei, with his gentle voice, had explained how even the smallest flame in an enclosed space can produce enough heat to keep you from freezing. He had even drawn a picture on the board to help Naruto and Kiba understand.

Several things about this scenario bothered Shikamaru – freezing, stranded, enclosed space – but one nagging thought had stuck with him ever since that lesson.

How cold do you have to be that a single flame, a single point of light, seems like a blaze of summer sun?

How long do you have to be lost in the cold and the dark for that one candle to be enough to save you?

Shikamaru blinked, dazed, as he stared at the man looming above him. He wondered why that memory had suddenly flared up in his mind. But then he blinked again and saw – clear as day – the telltale glow of that life-giving flame burning in Neji's opalescent eyes. And for the first time in ages, Shikamaru felt his heart stumbling out of the freezing winter into a ring of light.

He hadn't even noticed how cold he'd been. But now, his cheeks and his nose and his ears were burning, blood rushing to them and filling them with heat. His chest was burning, and his stomach was burning; his toes were on fire and his fingers itched like they were sunburnt.

And Neji just kept staring at him, growing brighter by the second. Shikamaru had seen the fire of his soul, burning like a tempest beneath his skin. He would never be able to look at Neji the same way again.

"Neji," Shikamaru said, in a voice that coiled and burned so much, he barely recognized it as his own. "I need you to get off me before I do something shitty and impulsive."

The Anbu Captain tilted his head, the light flashing in his pale eyes. He seemed to weigh Shikamaru's words for a moment as he studied the strategist's reddened face. His gaze drifted to Shikamaru's lips and lingered there for a moment.

And then – he stood up.

Shikamaru felt as if a layer of his own skin had been torn off, leaving him cold and stinging with pain. He lay, staring up at the space where Neji's face had been seconds before. The canopy of deeply green leaves danced above him, momentarily revealing the blue sky above.

Beside him, Neji busily collected the papers they had both dropped in what was, in hindsight, a rather embarrassing scuffle. Feeling his face burning anew, Neji frowned. He had no idea what had come over him. Whatever it was still seemed to be affecting him, causing his heart to race and a cold sweat to cling to his skin.

Attempting to ignore what he could only assume were the symptoms of an oncoming flu, Neji glanced nervously at Shikamaru, wary of whatever emotion had caused such an extreme change in his voice.

But the tactician seemed back to his normal self, lying calmly in the leaves, his eyes already drifting heavily shut. The fire that had momentarily burned beneath his skin was gone, replaced with his usual tired indifference. Still feeling a nagging of concern, Neji once again activated his dojutsu to examine Shikamaru's chakra.

It spluttered weakly, dully, through his limbs; telltale signs of physical exhaustion.

"When was the last time you slept for more than a few hours a night?" Neji asked, worry outweighing his confusion and embarrassment.

Shikamaru glanced at him, noting that his Byakugan was active. "No idea." He grumbled, turning away. "Probably never."

Neji scoffed. "Nara."

"I'm being serious." Shikamaru muttered.

Neji was silent for a moment. "Have you been overexerting yourself – more than usual – lately? Your chakra system looks…sick."

"Are you worried about me?" Shikamaru asked in a low voice.

Unable to see Shikamaru's face to gage his expression, Neji tensed uncomfortably as he replied. "I am worried that you are going to exhaust yourself to the point of ineffectiveness, Nara."

Shikamaru sat up suddenly, snorting. "No worries there, Hyuga. I won't die until after our assignment is done."

"I do not find that amusing." Neji frowned. "Not in the slightest."

"Good." Shikamaru said, still not facing Neji. "It wasn't meant to be funny."

The genius stood quickly. His legs immediately quivered, his knees buckling as he stumbled sideways into the nearest tree, gasping slightly. Neji jumped to his feet, rushing to Shikamaru's side. He had gone completely pale, looking sick and exhausted as he covered his dark eyes with a shaking hand.

"Shikamaru?" Neji called sharply, stooping to stare intently at him. "Are you alright?"

"Dammit," Shikamaru groaned, "I think I hit my head on a root or something when you tackled me. Am I bleeding?"

Without a second thought, Neji slipped his hand around to feel the back of Shikamaru's head. His hair was surprisingly soft under Neji's touch.

"No blood." Neji concluded. "But there's a lump forming on your head. Perhaps we should take you to the hospital?"

Shikamaru shook his head, looking woozy. "No time. I still have to report to Naruto, review this months mission reports, sort through new mission applications, catch up on those team evaluations from last week, not to mention those letters from the Feudal Lord that Naruto has been neglecting…"

"Your dedication is admirable," Neji said gently, "But on top of your exhaustion, you may also have a concussion."

"Fan-fucking-tastic." Shikamaru drawled.

He shoved away from the tree, stumbling past Neji to collect his papers from the forest floor. Still reeling from how bizarre their interactions had been that morning, Neji took a step after the fumbling Nara.

"Please, if you refuse to go to the hospital, you must see Sakura-kun or Ino-kun instead. If you fall asleep with a concussion, you may not wake up again."

Shikamaru snorted. "Right now, that doesn't sound like a bad thing to me, Neji."

Seeing the look on Neji's face, Shikamaru sighed before conceding. "If it bothers you that much, I'll stand close to Naruto when he's in glowy-mode or something. But I'm not going to bother Ino or Sakura while they're training students."

"How thoughtful of you." Neji replied tightly, too concerned to be annoyed.

Shikamaru only hummed in response, taking a few tottering steps before he stopped again, seeming to remember something. He hesitated for a moment before turning back towards Neji, weighing his words.

Finally, he said in a low, gentle voice, "You'd better come tonight, Neji. You know, just to make sure I haven't died or anything."

Neji sighed. "If it prevents one of Konoha's best from perishing, I shall show up at this bar tonight."

Shikamaru smiled weakly, all the radiance of the gesture that had earlier stunned Neji replaced by exhaustion. Neji didn't attempt to return the smile, only staring worriedly as Shikamaru wandered off, the shadows clinging to him as he went.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That's a lovely thought." Shikamaru drawled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Really warm and fluffy, like a bunny."

Chapter 6

* * *

 

Naruto was in a mood.

After knowing the emotional blond for his entire life, Shikamaru could tell from a mile away. He hovered awkwardly on the back porch of Naruto and Sasuke's house, watching the Hokage lounge beneath the cherry trees.

It was the act of lounging that made Shikamaru nervous. If Naruto was lounging, it was because he was too agitated to meditate.

The Sage was lying with his back to Shikamaru, the leaves above him creating patterns on his naked torso as they danced in the sun. His deeply tanned skin looked strangely grey in the shade the blossoms created as they floated down around him. As the strategist watched, Naruto's hand shot out to catch one of the falling flowers. For a moment, he examined the delicate bloom in his palm.

And then his fist closed sharply, crushing the pink petals roughly before letting them fall.

Frowning, Shikamaru turned at the sound of soft footsteps. Sasuke approached him from inside the house, his pale face revealing only the slightest trace of concern.

"Leave him." Sasuke said in a low voice, eyes darting in Naruto's direction. "What do you need, Nara."

Shikamaru grumbled as he turned away from the taciturn Uzumaki. "I was supposed to report to him today. Y'know, monthly status reports, mission evaluations, budget projections for next month? The usual shit."

Sasuke sighed. "I had forgotten. We'll have to reschedule it for tomorrow, Nara."

"But I'm here already."

"Yes, and the entire village is grateful for your sacrifice. The short walk from your house must have been challenging." Sasuke hissed, gesturing for Shikamaru to follow him inside.

"Dick." Shikamaru muttered as he followed.

Sasuke's eyes gleamed unnaturally in the dim light as he turned. "Naruto is unwell today." He said, still in that low voice. "Now, I'm more interested in whether or not Hyuga has briefed you on the actual mission you two have been assigned."

Shikamaru felt his stomach do a bizarre summersault at the mention of Neji. He could still feel Neji's soft hands on his throat, a phantom touch that made his skin prickle. He scowled. "Yeah, he practically dragged me out of bed by the hair, he was so eager. I don't like this, Uchiha. None of it."

"I promise you, I like it even less." Sasuke replied, pacing slowly. "I recognized the woman, but I've no idea who she really is, or what the hell she's doing here. Her alias, Rei Moon-Whatever, is different from when she worked for Akatsuki. But one thing I know for sure is that she isn't a leader. She's strong, but not ambitious. If she's here to cause trouble, it's on someone else's orders."

"Remnants of the Kou Clan?" Shikamaru offered, his mind already beginning to churn furiously. "Or maybe she's still working for Akatsuki. With the fucked up powers those guys had, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were still around."

Sasuke snorted. "Old enemies? I sincerely doubt it. No, I have a strong suspicion that this is something, or someone, new."

"That's a lovely thought." Shikamaru drawled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Really warm and fluffy, like a bunny."

"There's no use speculating now." Sasuke continued, after glaring at Shikamaru for a moment. "Aside from torturing it out of her, which Naruto has absolutely forbidden me to do, there's nothing we can do now besides watch and wait."

"What a pain."

"Yeah."

Sasuke frowned again, stopping his pacing in front of the open doors. For a few minutes he stood in silence, watching Naruto. Then he sighed stiffly, his shoulders set in agitation as he turned back to Shikamaru.

"Leave him." He said again. But it was softer this time, more to himself than to Shikamaru. "He has enough on his mind."

"Right," Shikamaru agreed, as Sasuke's demeanor increased his own concern for the Hokage. "Neji and I are on this, Uchiha. And apparently Hinata is helping too. So just…take care of him."

Sasuke's face softened. "Of course. It is, after all, my job to protect the Hokage."

"Yeah." Shikamaru agreed. He hesitated briefly before adding, "Listen, Sasuke. I don't know what's been up with Naruto lately, and I don't want to know. Not my job, not my problem. But he's also my friend."

"Your point, Nara?"

Again Shikamaru hesitated. "I don't have one. Just do whatever you can to keep him in one piece. Oh, and tell him if he ditches me again tomorrow, I'll seriously quit. I mean it this time."

With that, Shikamaru turned on his heel and marched towards the front door. His head throbbed angrily as he bent to pull on his shoes, brain racing from their conversation. He let himself out without a backwards glance, lost in his thoughts as he strolled towards the quiet street.

He stopped after passing through Naruto's barriers, staring at his feet. The slight breeze made the loose sand at the edge of the road dance around him. For a moment he simply stood, focusing on the sensation of those rough particles rushing across his skin.

_Skin._

He raised his hand slowly to his throat; tracing the bruises he already imagined forming where Neji had choked him. His own pulse throbbed steadily beneath his fingertips as he turned and began walking slowly home.

 _"What the hell was that?"_ He wondered, memories of Neji's reddened face flickering through his mind. " _I've never seen that side of Neji before. He's always so controlled, so distant."_

Shikamaru smirked. _"He definitely wasn't distant when he was straddling me. That was…interesting."_

Shikamaru shook his head sharply, trying to make himself focus. There were more important things to think about than Neji's strong thighs tensing around his hips. Things like mysterious, sneaking spy women hanging around in the village. And paperwork. Shikamaru frowned, his pace quickening slightly as he thought about how much he still had to do before meeting Ino that night.

But then, Shikamaru reminded himself, Neji had agreed to show up. Feeling slightly more enthusiastic about his plans for the evening, Shikamaru turned into the woods, taking the shortest paths home.

* * *

 

"I'm too old for this."

Kakashi muttered as he crouched down beside Captain Yamato, trying to peer through the dense fog that pressed closely around them.

Yamato laughed nervously. "I agree. We should really consider retiring."

He held his forearm out to Kakashi, who helped tie a bandage tightly around a deep stab wound. Kakashi raked a critical eye over his friend, checking that all of his more serious wounds had been dealt with. He saw Yamato examine him in a similar fashion before they both looked up, nodding once before they stood.

A familiar rush of air had them dodging in opposite directions, becoming blurs of speed as a rain of rigged kunai appeared in the air right where they had been standing. The barrage of sharp blades exploded as they hit the ground, fire erupting up into the canopy of leaves. It was far too wet for the foliage to catch on fire, but the blast of heat was enough to dissolve the heavy mist, exposing the secluded clearing the two Konoha shinobi had been resting in.

"Found you!" An unseen voice called from the treetops.

Kakashi turned towards the voice, sharingan scanning quickly for the source. But another forest of weapons appeared above him, and he was forced to concentrate on dodging as they descended towards him with unnerving accuracy. He stopped with his back to a large tree, attempting to collect his thoughts for a moment. A tingle on the back of his neck made him drop down.

An enormous, deadly sword shaped like a cleaver smashed into the tree where his neck had been milliseconds before. But this weapon hadn't come from one of the weapon masters scrolls. Its owner launched themself out of the mist, wrenching their sword from the tree easily as they rushed at Kakashi. He back flipped to avoid the swinging cleaver, hands flashing midair as he summoned chidori into his fists.

Before he could even initiate his counter attack, the sword wielder darted forward, their blade a glint of silver as they spun to bash the inside of Kakashi's elbows with the pointed hilt. Kakashi grunted in pain and shock. His attacker had struck the vital chakra points on his arms. His chidori faded immediately, like a switch had been turned off.

"Oh boy." Kakashi muttered.

He barely had time to pull out a kunai before the enemy slammed into him, the enormous blade shattering his knife and sending Kakashi flying backwards through the forest at the speed of a cannonball. He took the opportunity to look around for Yamato.

The Captain seemed to be fairing better against the weapon master, roots and branches tangling around him to protect him from the endless barrage. This had forced the enemy to come and face him directly, and Yamato seemed to be holding them at bay efficiently. But it was rare for shinobi to travel in pairs.

Kakashi summersaulted in the air, his feet slamming down into the ground as he continued to slide backwards. Without waiting for his momentum to stop, Kakashi focused his sharingan, trying to visualize his chakra points. No matter how many times he'd watched members of the Hyuga clan do it, their technique was impossible to copy. But he had no choice but to try. Without his chakra, they were dead.

He channeled chakra into fine points on his fingertips, hesitating briefly before jabbing them into his skin. Immediately, his left arm began to spasm wildly. Kakashi grimaced, gripping it with his right arm as he finally came to a stop.

"Not as easy as it looks." He said as he looked down at his quivering arm.

Yamato landed beside him before he could try it again. "Sensei!" He whispered urgently, crouching down beside Kakashi. "Are you alright?"

Kakashi shook his head, pulling his headband down over his sharingan. "The one with the sword must have some kind of eye technique. Or a serious mastery of the chakra system. I can't use any jutsu."

"We should get out of here." Yamato muttered, glancing around warily. "I'm afraid that more will come. Forgive me, sensei, but I can't fight them alone."

"I feel inclined to agree with you." Kakashi said, standing up slowly. His arm shook wildly again.

"There's one more thing." The Captain whispered. "I pulled this off my opponent after defeating them."

He reached into his pocket, procuring a shining headband. The familiar, unmarked symbol carved into made Kakashi's heart stop. Kirigakure.

"What should we do, Kakashi?" Yamato whispered.

Kakashi frowned, thinking quickly.

They stood in the thick, damp forests about an hour outside the Village Hidden in the Mist. Their seemingly simple political mission to escort a minor lord to the village had ended in total disaster. Kakashi and Yamato had been fooled by a diversion, and by the time they realized, it was too late. The Chunin that had been their team for the mission were dead. The lord was either dead or kidnapped. And that wasn't even the worst part.

"They can't be actual Mist shinobi, right?" Yamato continued when Kakashi didn't speak. "I mean, they're part of the alliance. For them to attack us knowingly would be…"

"Very bad." Kakashi concluded with a sigh. "Damn. That medical kunoichi was one of Sakura's new students. First time she was the solo medic on a mission too."

"We should've known it was a trap." Yamato said nervously.

Kakashi pulled his headband lower over his sharingan. "How could we? We assumed those shinobi were our allies. But this could definitely spell trouble. If they really were from the Mist Village…"

A bead of nervous sweat rolled down Yamato's forehead as he asked again, "What should we do?"

"Get back to Konoha as quickly as possible." Kakashi replied. "My first instinct is to infiltrate the village and try to figure out what's happening. But it's too dangerous with just the two of us, and no backup on the way. Besides, if the situation is as bad as we're both imaging it is, Naruto needs to know about it immediately."

Yamato nodded as the two of them started off at a slow jog, the poor visibility hindering them. They imagined the sword wielder jumping out at them from every shadow in the mist, their senses heightened as they hurried along.

"Don't worry, Naruto will get to the bottom of it in no time. I swear, the kid just knows." Yamato whispered.

"Let's get up higher." Kakashi said before jumping towards the treetops. Once they were above the fog and could move more freely, he added, "It's hard to believe he's the same hardheaded kid we were always chasing after. But are you really surprised he turned out this way? You know who his parents were. And how life treated him."

Yamato mumbled to himself, for the moment focused on using his signature jutsu to pull tree branches towards them, creating a clear path. "Maybe we should have tried to capture one of those shinobi alive? We could have questioned them."

"If the one with the sword catches up with is, we'll give it a shot."

"I just don't want to bring this news to Naruto." Yamato frowned. "He's so committed to this alliance. To think that it might be crumbling as we speak…"

"No use worrying about it now." Kakashi said. "But we failed our mission today, Yamato. Lost our comrades. That's what concerns me most. And it's definitely going to upset Naruto more than anything else."

"All the more reason to get home quickly then." Yamato replied determinedly, increasing his speed.

A few minutes later, he realized that Kakashi was lagging behind. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Kakashi land on a wet branch where he wobbled – and slipped. His tired eye widening in surprise, Kakashi twisted acrobatically as he fell, grabbing the branch and using it to swing himself forward to the next. But then he stopped and bent over, breathing heavily as if the effort had exhausted him.

When he glanced up at the stunned Yamato, what little skin was visible on his face looked alarmingly pale.

"Hey Yamato," He panted, "I think our mad dash home just became even more urgent."

Yamato's eyes flew down to the defensive cuts on his arms. "Poison?"

"No," Kakashi shook his head with a frown. "But whatever that sword creep did to me seems to be spreading. I feel weak."

"Shit. I'm glad we got away when we did." Yamato said as he jumped to Kakashi's side, grabbing one of his shaking arms to support him. "Let's get moving, sensei."

"Leave me. I'll only slow you down." Kakashi attempted to pull away weakly. "All that matters is you get to Naruto as soon as possible."

Yamato snorted. "If I tell Naruto that I left his chakraless sensei alone in the woods, I'm positive that he would actually, violently murder me."

Kakashi laughed softly. "Probably."

"I'll even carry you if I have to." Yamato offered. "But we can't waste any more time. Okay, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi nodded, allowing Yamato to pull his arm over his shoulders. The two made off without a backwards glance, determined to find their way home as quickly as possible.

* * *

 

By the time Shikamaru showed up at the bar, Ino was too drunk to realize that he was late.

Or that he was even there.

Shikamaru watched her for a minute, her cheeks red as she tossed her hair, surrounded by laughing shinobi. With a snort, he turned deftly away from the crowd, making his way towards one of the empty rooms usually reserved for large parties. Just as he was about to slide open the door, a familiar voice called his name.

He turned as Sakura came towards him smiling, looking beautiful in a red and black dress that hugged her muscular curves.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" She said happily, patting his shoulder. "I'm glad I found you before you could hide yourself away."

"Oh?" Shikamaru replied, catching the eye of a passing waitress and signaling for her to bring a bottle of sake. "Why? Do you need something?"

Sakura blinked in surprise. "What? No! I just don't see you very often anymore. I wanted to talk."

"Oh." Shikamaru said again, sighing in relief. He slid open the door to the empty room, kicking off his shoes before sitting at the low table. Sakura joined him, setting down her glass.

Neither of them said anything. Sakura sat studying him with her beautiful green eyes, tucking a lock of pink hair behind her ear. "Make sure you say hello to Ino before you leave. If she's still conscious, that is. That girl can drink."

Shikamaru snorted. "Like a goddamn fish."

Silence fell again as Sakura continued to examine him. The door slid open as the waitress glided in, setting a tray with sake and two small, round cups onto the table. As soon as she left, Sakura spoke again.

"You're not sleeping. Or eating properly."

Shikamaru glanced at her warily as he poured himself a drink. "No, Sakura, I'm not. But isn't that old news by now?"

"It's worse than usual, I can tell just by looking at you." Sakura said sagely. "I am Konoha's head medic, you know."

Staring at her dryly over his cup, Shikamaru sipped his bitter alcohol in silence. Once he had set his cup down to refill it, he asked, "So what? Did Ino tell you to give me the third degree, or just knock me unconscious?"

"Always so guarded." Sakura sighed. "I'm just worried about you, Shikamaru. You're my friend."

"Friends, huh?" Shikamaru muttered, glancing away from her keen eyes. After downing another shot of sake, he asked in a low voice, "Sakura, if I ask you something, will you promise to keep it between us?"

"Of course." Sakura said seriously. "You can talk to me about anything."

Shikamaru hummed slightly, but remained silent for a long time. Two more sips of sake later, he cleared his throat.

"Sakura, this might be a weird question but…" Shikamaru glanced down, studying the weave of the floor mats intently. "Have you ever been attracted to someone you know you shouldn't be attracted to?"

A snort of laughter drew his gaze. Sakura's expression was flat as she replied, "Yes. How long was I in love with Sasuke?"

"Right," Shikamaru smiled nervously. "I forgot about that."

"Lucky you." Sakura grumbled. Then her eyes brightened. "Why do you ask? Wait; don't tell me. Are you interested in someone, Shikamaru? Someone you shouldn't be attracted to? Who is it?"

"Jeez, don't shout." Shikamaru mumbled. "Troublesome woman."

"Oh no, don't try to play it off now." Sakura grinned, leaning over the table. "Come on, tell me who it is. I won't drop it until you do! Tell me, Shikamaru!"

"It was just a question, Sakura. I'm not interested in anyone."

"Come on, tell me!"

"What a drag."

"Tell me!"

Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched. "Jeez, you're more of a nuisance than Ino!"

"Oh, that's a good idea!" Sakura smiled deviously. "Maybe I should go tell Ino-chan that you have a crush on someone. I'm sure she'd be very interested."

"No! Fuck, don't tell Ino." Shikamaru sighed, covering his eyes with his hand.

Suddenly, Sakura gasped. "Oh gods, I know who it is. It's totally Naruto, isn't it?"

"What?" Shikamaru exclaimed. "No, of course it isn't Naruto! Why would you even think that?"

"Well, because it totally makes sense."

"What?" Shikamaru peered at Sakura doubtfully. "How does that make sense?"

The kunoichi laughed, blushing slightly. "Well, you spend so much time with him. And he's so…Naruto, you know?"

"No, I don't know. Wait, _you_ don't like Naruto, do you?"

"Um, how should I put this," Sakura muttered, tucking a lock of pink hair behind her ear again. "When we were kids, I always knew how Naruto felt about me, but I was never attracted to him in that way. Then all of a sudden, he grows up and he's _literally_ gorgeous. It's a little strange, honestly; it kind of shocks me every time I see him. Still, he's always felt more like a brother to me than anything else. So I guess it's more like, my awkward little brother grew up into a heartthrob? That sounds weird when I say it out loud, but I think that's pretty close to the truth."

Shikamaru stared at her, cup resting against his bottom lip. After a moment he sighed, placing the cup on the table. "He does have a sort of…aura around him, I guess."

"Jinchuuriki pheromones."

"What?"

Sakura blushed. "I like to think of it as his Jinchuuriki pheromones. You know how he kind of smells like, I don't know, sandalwood smoke or something? It's totally because of Kurama. It's like an animal musky smell. And it makes us react instinctually or whatever."

Shikamaru felt his eyebrows inching towards his hairline. "That seems weird enough to be true." He said, downing his sake with a grimace. "What a drag."

"Tell me about it." Sakura whined. Then, smiling reassuringly, she said, "So try not to worry about it, Shikamaru. I blame the pheromones. Although, I guess it must be confusing for you…"

"You have no idea." Shikamaru grumbled. And then a sudden thought occurred to Shikamaru that made him regret playing along with Sakura's assumption. "And to make it all worse, if Sasuke ever finds out, he'll probably kill me."

"Probably," Sakura agreed, looking thoughtful. "Yeah, he would definitely kill you."

"Looking forward to it. At least I'd have a lasting excuse to avoid my work."

Sakura smiled, pouring herself a glass of his sake and sipping it gingerly. "Yuck. I have no idea how you can drink this stuff."

Shikamaru shrugged. "The lack of soberness is worth the taste."

The kunoichi frowned. "If it's that difficult for you, Shikamaru, you should probably just tell Naruto. He feels really badly about how much he relies on you. If you just told him you needed to take a break for a while, I'm sure he wouldn't say no."

"You have no idea how much I wish I could just drop all my responsibilities and run for it." Shikamaru laughed bitterly. "But there are too many people who rely on me now. It'd be way too troublesome."

"I'm not saying you should run away!" Sakura replied, looking shocked. "And besides, Naruto would find you in like, a minute anyways. I just think that it would probably be a good idea to get a bit of space. Breathe some non-pheromoney air, you know?"

"You might have a point." Shikamaru mumbled. "I'll think about it."

Shikamaru refilled both their cups, and they drank in silence. Voices and music mingled together, spilling out from the other rooms and the main bar. They both smirked as they realized that they could distinctly hear Kiba and Lee's voices above the rest of the noise.

"I hope Kiba isn't challenging Lee to a youthful drinking contest." Sakura sighed. "The last thing we need is that spandex-moron knocking the whole building down on top of us. I'd better go and make sure they behave themselves."

She downed the rest of her sake in one gulp. She brushed the back of her dress as she stood up, looking down at Shikamaru with flushed cheeks. "You coming?"

"No, I think I'll stay here a while longer."

"Okay, I'll come find you later."

As soon as she slid the door shut, Shikamaru flopped down onto the matted floor, draping one arm over his eyes. "What am I doing?" He muttered. "The last thing I need is for a rumor about me liking Naruto to start circulating."

He continued to drink in silence, smirking as he listened to Sakura scolding Lee and Kiba in the hall. After a while, the waitress brought him another order of sake. It wasn't until half an hour later that the door slid open again.

His arm still resting heavily over his eyes, Shikamaru assumed that Sakura had returned to check on him. "You get those troublesome bastards under control, Sakura?"

The deep, regal voice that responded made him shoot up like a rocket, spilling his drink everywhere.

"Good evening, Shikamaru."

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hm, yeah, wildly unprofessional. Negative ten badass points." Shikamaru refilled his cup. "Very uncool. I'll probably never get over it."

Chapter 7

* * *

 

"N-Neji!" Shikamaru spluttered, trying – and failing – to discreetly wipe sake off his vest. "You're here!"

"Yes," Neji replied, looking annoyingly concerned as he glided towards the table in his white robes. "You invited me, remember? Gods, just how badly were you concussed?"

"Not badly enough to make this less awkward." Shikamaru jokingly said, trying to calm his nerves.

But that was a difficult thing to do when Neji looked so _damn_ good. He was wearing his summer robes, which were thin and loose around his torso. And unlike his winter robes or his ANBU uniform, they showed off just enough of his smooth, muscular chest to illicit a reaction from Shikamaru.

Plus, it seemed like he was fresh out of the shower, his long brown hair damp and darkened to black from the moisture. He smelled of something light and fresh, green and tantalizing. Eucalyptus, Shikamaru thought. The scent suited him.

Conscious of Shikamaru's scrutiny, Neji felt his cheeks glowing pink as he averted his gaze. "I… should apologize again for this morning. It was horrifyingly unprofessional of me. I even hurt you in the process."

"Hm, yeah, wildly unprofessional. Negative ten badass points." Shikamaru refilled his cup. "Very uncool. I'll probably never get over it."

Neji slid his gaze to Shikamaru's face; uncertain as to whether he was joking, or just drunk.

Shikamaru noticed his expression and raised one sardonic eyebrow, his lips smirking around his cup. "Wait, you _are_ apologizing for waking me up early, right?"

Without realizing he was doing it, Neji smiled, leaning towards the table. "Oh no you don't, Nara! You were already awake when I arrived. I won't have you blaming me for my cousins transgressions."

"But Hinata is so delicate," Shikamaru replied without missing a beat, downing his sake. "It's much easier to blame you than to watch her flail about. Besides, I was talking about you sneaking around in my garden last night. It was past midnight, ergo morning. _Early-ass_ morning."

Neji almost laughed, his lips twitching as he said, "Always such a martyr. I'm sorry to have caused such suffering."

Shikamaru snorted. "You should just be grateful that I had the wherewithal to put on some clothes before coming to capture the intruder. Nothing more insulting than getting beaten up by a naked guy."

"You sleep naked?" Neji asked, his eyes momentarily slipping down Shikamaru's form, remembering the way his naked torso had gleamed in the moonlight. "Oh, and you did _not_ beat me up."

"Well, the rumor I've been spreading around suggests otherwise." Shikamaru drawled, thoroughly enjoying their banter. "Apparently I pinned you down and put pigtails in your hair. With ribbons! Truly a shocking turn of events."

Neji visibly tensed. "Gods, Nara, please tell me you're joking."

"Of course I am." Shikamaru said, his voice growing softer. "Relax man. I won't tell anyone about the pigtails."

"You're unbelievable." Neji marveled, watching Shikamaru refill his cup yet again, shaking the last drops of sake out of the bottle.

Shikamaru laughed. "You have no idea."

Neji shot him a withering glance, but was caught off guard by the potency of the look Shikamaru was giving him. It wasn't joking at all, but heavy and scrutinizing. There were traces of that dangerous look he had given Neji earlier etched into the corners of his mouth, churning in the deep shadows of his eyes.

The sudden entrance of the waitress saved Neji from that intense gaze. His mind felt fuzzy as he directed his eyes towards the table, breathing slowly to try and combat the writhing mass of heat that had reappeared in his chest. He was vaguely aware of voices as Shikamaru chatted with the waitress. He must have said something clever because the waitress laughed flirtatiously, brushing Shikamaru's arm before picking up the sake tray and flouncing out of the room.

"Nice girl." Shikamaru remarked, lounging on one elbow as he stared towards the door. "Wonder if she'll give us some free drinks. Oh, sorry for finishing the bottle before offering you any. Hadn't realized it was so far gone."

"I don't drink, remember?" Neji replied faintly, struggling to form words around the hammering pulse in his throat. He looked up at Shikamaru, noting the faint red glow in his cheeks and the hair falling loose of his ponytail. The dark strands glided over his neck as the genius turned his head towards Neji. "Besides, I think you've had enough for the both of us."

"True enough," Shikamaru mused. "But I plan on drinking enough for the three of us. It's been one of those weeks."

Neji frowned again, still concerned for Shikamaru's health. "I sincerely apologize for any part I had to play in -"

"Don't." Shikamaru cut him off, his tone darkening again. "Stop apologizing. It's not like you."

"How is it unlike me?" Neji scoffed, slightly offended. "I always apologize when I am in the wrong!"

"Yeah I know you do, just…" Shikamaru glanced away. "Not with me. You don't have to be that way with me."

"What way, Nara?" Neji demanded.

"You know!" Shikamaru frowned, gesturing around heatedly. "Mighty Captain Hyuga, King of Decorum, Lord of the Stick-in-the-Ass Clan! I'm not one of those people that you need to put on your armor for."

"Those people?"

"Yeah Neji, _those people_." Shikamaru hissed. "I am not, and will never be, one of the people tugging at your "leash". So quit trying to keep me at arms length all the time."

Neji's hand instinctively shot towards his forehead, but he stopped himself. His hand lowered slowly as he glared at Shikamaru, the skin around his milky eyes tight with anger.

"I will let that slide, Nara, just this one time." He said in a low, dangerously steady voice. "I will blame it on the mixture of alcohol, exhaustion, and head injury. But you will never talk about my _"leash"_ ever again, or I will fulfill your wish and put you to sleep permanently. Understood?"

He continued to glare at Shikamaru, who calmly returned his scathing gaze, waiting for him to speak.

Shikamaru sipped his sake slowly, considering his next words carefully.

"You're right, I shouldn't have mentioned it. Sorry." Those dark eyes shifted, mapping Neji's expression as Shikamaru continued. "But I care about you. Sure, you're an annoying pain in the ass but you're…Neji."

Neji's eyes widened. He struggled to find a cohesive response. "I also, um, you are – I mean, compared to others, you -"

"Thanks man, that's real sweet." Shikamaru drawled, that smirk reattaching itself to his lips. His eyes drifted away from Neji's embarrassed face towards the door as the waitress returned.

Once again, Shikamaru slipped easily into a relaxed and friendly guise, not letting any emotion sneak into his expression as he chatted with the woman. He was a perfectly controlled and calculating tactician; able to change his skin like a chameleon.

He inquired after her night, the other patrons in the bar – were any of the Konoha Eleven causing her trouble? If so, she was to report to Sakura. The waitress giggled and preened under his potent gaze. She gave them their bottle of sake for free.

As she turned towards the door, she winked at Neji, who was too busy staring at Shikamaru to even notice.

"I think she likes you." Shikamaru said once she was gone, raising an eyebrow in Neji's direction.

"Hardly." Neji scoffed, reaching over to grab the bottle roughly. Shikamaru watched with wide eyes as Neji filled his cup to the brim and drank it all in one gulp. He refilled his cup immediately. "You certainly don't seem to have any trouble with women."

Shikamaru snorted. "Very funny."

The lights flashed in Neji's eyes as he blinked slowly, trying to read Shikamaru's expression. "It wasn't meant as a joke, but I suppose I'm glad you found it humorous."

His thin eyebrows meeting in confusion, Shikamaru sat up straighter to get a better view of Neji over the table. "Wait, you're serious, aren't you?"

Neji nodded fractionally.

"What a drag." Shikamaru muttered. "I thought everyone knew."

"Knew what?" Neji urged, annoyed and confused by their entire conversation.

Shikamaru swirled the contents of his cup, studying the small whirlpool he created as he replied, "I'm gay. I mean, seriously Neji, have I ever shown _any_ interest in women?"

For a moment, Neji stared at him in shocked silence. And then, a wave of embarrassment at his ignorance washed over Neji, his pale cheeks turning slightly red and his pulse quickening. He swallowed nervously before asking, "How long have you…"

Shikamaru didn't glance up, his voice slightly stiff as he said, "How long have I known, or how long have I been 'out'?"

"Both, I suppose."

Letting out a slow exhale through his nose, Shikamaru continued to stare into his cup. "I'm not one of those people who claims that they always knew. For the longest time, I just didn't care. Girls were troublesome. Guys were troublesome. Honestly, there was so much else going on that I hardly cared about that kind of thing. But I guess, eventually I noticed that guys had started to seem a little less troublesome to me. Only a little, though. You'll notice that I'm not exactly in a committed relationship."

Shikamaru paused to sip his sake, grimacing slightly as the strong alcohol glided over his tongue.

"And as far as how long I've been out, well…only for a few years."

"Why did you keep it to yourself for so long?" Neji asked.

"It was the most logical decision." Shikamaru drawled. "We were already at war by the time I realized I was gay. When the people around you are dropping like flies, and you could die at any moment, your sexual preferences hardly seem to matter."

"But surely your friends would have liked to know." Neji said. "If only for the sake of knowing."

Shikamaru smirked. "Honestly, nobody really seemed surprised when I told them. Ino said she'd known for ages, but she never said anything about it. Choji too. Apparently Asuma knew as well."

Neji hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose it's a good thing that people around here tend to be open-minded. Nobody should feel ashamed about who they are."

"I'm not ashamed," Shikamaru replied, the skin around his eyes tightening. "It never really seemed like a big deal to me. But the thing is, being different is…exhausting. For the longest time, I kept it to myself because I figured I was different enough already without adding more to the list."

"Sound enough reasoning." Neji said gently before taking a sip from his cup.

Shikamaru glanced towards him. "No offense, Neji, but I'm a little surprised you're taking this as well as you are. The Hyuga's are all pretty conservative, so I thought that maybe…well, it would be a drag if you felt weird about this."

Neji smiled bitterly. "Is that why I'm the last one to know? Honestly, Nara, my Clan and I rarely have compatible opinions."

"I know." Shikamaru replied, his voice soft. "I'm sorry. Next time I have a big secret, you'll be the first one to know."

"Honored, I'm sure." Neji muttered, taking a swig from his cup.

"I thought you didn't drink?"

"Things change."

Shikamaru hummed thoughtfully in response, watching Neji down the rest of his drink and promptly pour himself another. He gestured with the bottle towards Shikamaru's cup, which he refilled when Shikamaru held it out for him. For a time they simply sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they sipped their drinks.

Finally, Shikamaru cleared his throat. "So, since we're in a sharing mood, can I ask you something?"

Neji exhaled hotly through his nose. "By all means. You seem determined to barrel through all my boundaries today anyways."

Shikamaru laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

"No, you're not."

"I'm really not, you're right."

"Ask your question then, Nara." Neji said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Okay, sure." Shikamaru sat up straighter, crossing his legs as he placed his cup down on the table. "Listen, this question will probably be way too intrusive and troublesome, but it's been in my head for years so I have to ask."

Neji sighed. "Fine, we'll add it to the list of things we're never going to discuss again after tonight, which I'm betting on you being too drunk to remember anyway."

Shikamaru smiled, his right cheek dimpling. "Not likely, Hyuga. I've been drinking since I was fifteen. Only way to make my brain slow down a bit."

"Your question, Nara." Neji encouraged, idly wondering if Asuma-sensei had sanctioned this alcohol-induced stupidity in order to help his genius student sleep.

"Right, okay," Shikamaru shifted nervously. "During the war…obviously everything was a complete mess, and there was so much happening, but I was stationed in the control center and they were monitoring everyone's chakra. And for a moment there, I mean, everyone thought – they were sure – that you were…we thought you died, Neji."

Neji sipped his sake calmly. "And your question is?"

"My question is…what happened?"

Frowning, Neji slowly placed his cup on the table, studying the wood surface. "They weren't wrong, Nara. I did die. I was dead. And to be perfectly honest, I was happy to go. After a life of pain and servitude…I was free."

Shikamaru shut his eyes, momentarily thrown back into the war: into the moment of intense, shattering emotion when Shikamaru first heard that Neji had fallen. Shikamaru shook his head, trying to distance himself from the memory of that pain as he whispered, "But you're here now. Alive. What happened?"

Neji was silent for a long time, his eyes staring blankly. Finally, he reached up to pull his hair over one side of his neck, the long strands dancing across his lap.

"Naruto." He said. "That's what happened."

"What? He saved you?" Shikamaru asked. "But he was nowhere near you."

"I didn't understand at first." Neji continued, ignoring him. "I thought I was hallucinating. Especially since Naruto looks so different in the veil. But of course, his Sage powers allow him to exist between worlds. He was really there, and he saw me, and he…convinced me to go back."

"How?" Shikamaru asked, dumbfounded.

"I would prefer not to say." Neji replied gently. "When I woke up, one of Naruto's clones was with me, his energy healing my body. As soon as I was stable, he disappeared. The war was over not long after that. I suppose, in the confusion, everyone else forgot that I was supposed to be dead. Everyone but you."

"And Hinata." Shikamaru said softly. "She was devastated."

Neji's eyebrow twitched. "Yes, well."

Silence fell again, Neji's words having filled the room with a heaviness that neither of them knew how to lift. Neji once again found himself studying Shikamaru; the way he wrapped his fingers around his cup, the sharp angle of his shoulder as he leaned on his palm, the mystifyingly unreadable expression in his eyes. He was sharp and dark, dangerously intelligent and alluring in the most effortless way.

Confusion once again filled Neji's mind. Was he attracted to Shikamaru? He was secure enough to acknowledge that Shikamaru was handsome, troublingly so, but to be attracted to him would be something else entirely - something new and exciting and frightening, since Neji had never been with a man before.

And Shikamaru…

 _"With looks like that,"_ Neji mused. _"There's no way he's a virgin."_

Just as this thought began to pull Neji's brain in dangerous directions, the sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway drew their attention. Without pausing, Sakura barreled into the room, her eyebrows meeting in a deep frown as her gaze locked onto Neji.

"I need you guys. Now." She barked.

Both men rose to their feet immediately.

"What's up, Sakura?" Shikamaru asked.

"I…" She paused awkwardly, not meeting their eyes. "I don't know the details yet. All I know is that Kakashi-sensei is in the hospital and needs Neji and I right away. And Captain Yamato is asking for you, Shikamaru. I hope you aren't too drunk."

"Never drunk enough to make this job less of a pain in my ass." Shikamaru grumbled as he pulled on his shoes. He snuck a glance at Neji, but his hair was hiding his expression. "Tell us, Sakura. How bad is it?"

"Bad. It's bad." She whispered. "The diplomatic mission Kakashi-sensei and Yamato were leading was sabotaged. Their team and the politician they were escorting were all killed. Kakashi got taken down, he's in pretty serious condition."

By this time the trio was on the move, weaving as quickly as possible through the crowd. As soon as they had finally shoved their way out into the refreshing night air, Sakura turned to them and said gravely, "And the worst part? They were ambushed by shinobi wearing the Hidden Mist's crest. It's possible…we might have been betrayed."

"Or someone is trying very hard to make it look that way." Neji offered as they made off down the street at a run. He shot Shikamaru a meaningful glance. The strategist shook his head.

"There's no way Kirigakure has left the alliance," Shikamaru said. "Not the entire village, at any rate. There's no way they could pull that off without the Kage knowing. And Naruto -"

"Doesn't know everything." Sakura bluntly stated. "He's powerful, sure, but he's not omniscient. It's not unreasonable to think that there are things going on that even _he_ doesn't know about."

"Which is great for your sex life." Shikamaru mumbled.

"What did you say?" Sakura hissed, rounding on him.

"Do NOT start this now, I don't want to know _anything_ about this." Neji interrupted. "Honestly, it's like being stuck with a couple of genin."

"Hey Neji, ever gotten your ass kicked by a genin?"

"We're almost there," Shikamaru said. "You can kick Neji's ass later, Sakura. Make sure you invite me along to watch."

"I hate both of you." Neji said.

The three of them flew up the stairs, throwing open the hospital doors and making their way down the hall as fast as they dared. Yamato hovered nervously outside Kakashi's room, his large eyes fixing on them from the other end of the hall. He gestured wildly.

"Finally! Please hurry!" He called before flitting into the room.

They stopped abruptly in the doorway, watching in shock as three medical shinobi held down a violently convulsing Kakashi-sensei. Sakura ran to assist them immediately, barking out instructions and asking questions without missing a beat. Neji activated his Byakugan, stepping towards the bed. He frowned deeply.

"Captain Yamato," His deep voice carrying over the commotion. "What happened? Who did this to him?"

"Ah, one of the shinobi that attacked us." Yamato said as he hovered around nervously. "And then, forgive me, I think he tried to reverse the effects himself."

Neji's expression hardened even further. "Sakura." He said, stepping forward purposefully. "Keep him as still as you can. I need to be able to see."

Sakura nodded before relaying more orders, calling for this drip or that drip, but her voice passed over Shikamaru's ears. He was staring blankly at Neji's proud profile, watching his eyes as they studied the convulsing Kakashi.

It wasn't possible. Surely it wasn't possible. For the Hidden Mist to betray the alliance would be madness. They simply didn't have the strength to defy the other villages alone.

 _"But what if they aren't alone?"_ Shikamaru thought, his mind racing. _"The sneaky lady - is her being here a coincidence? Could Akatsuki be involved after all? What if some of the other villages are involved in this? Definitely not the Sand – Gara is in love with Naruto, after all - but the others? How strong are our ties to them? What could they gain by betraying Konoha? Land, resources, power? Unreasonable! Troublesome! There's no way a coup that size could happen in the main villages without us knowing."_

"Gods," Neji said as he leaned over Kakashi. "That shinobi reversed the flow of his chakra. And when he tried to fix it blindly, Kakashi-sensei disrupted the blood flow to his heart. Sakura, he WILL die if I don't fix this right now!"

"Then do it!" Sakura replied heatedly.

"I can't do anything until he is completely still!" Neji explained. "I have to momentarily block the vital tenketsu around his heart to avoid damaging it any further. Pump him with whatever drugs you need to, just make him stop seizing!"

 _"But in the smaller villages, or the Feudal cities?"_ Shikamaru continued to muse, Neji and Sakura's conversation barely a buzz in the background of his thoughts. _"It's possible. Entirely possible. Just how high could this thing go?"_

He paced towards the corner of the room, eyes unseeing as he fell deeper into his thoughts, the medics running past him to retrieve the drugs Sakura was calling for.

_"But the biggest question is why? There's nothing to gain from making an enemy of Konoha. An enemy of Naruto, of all people. Something troublesome is going on here, and when I find out what it is, I'm going to kill whoever is responsible for this fucking headache."_

"Sakura, we are running out of time!" Neji yelled.

"We have no choice but to wait for the drugs to work!" Sakura replied, her eyes shining with emotion as she stared down at her sensei.

Shikamaru stepped forward, hands already flashing nimbly through familiar signs. "This is going to hurt him, but it'll keep him still. Good thing he's in a hospital, I guess."

Before Sakura or Neji could grasp his meaning, the shadows beneath the bed rose up like vines cut from the night sky. They wrapped around Kakashi's body before pulling down tightly. The silver-haired man went unnervingly still, save for his eye, which continued to shudder violently beneath the lid.

"Excellent work, Nara." Neji praised as he tore back what was left of Kakashi's shirt and vest. His skin looked strangely blue and mottled above his laboring heart. "Sakura, prepare yourself to revive him. Depending on how severe the damage is, you might need to perform surgery on his heart."

"Understood." Sakura said as she stepped away from the bed, somehow managing to look confident and terrified at the same time.

A hushed silence fell over the room as they all stared at Neji. Seeming unfazed, he examined Kakashi one final time and then, with a curt nod, his arms became a blur of speed. His fingers, glowing with chakra, jabbed rapidly around Kakashi's heart before dancing down the rest of his body, sending jolts of chakra into every major point to restart the natural flow. Finally, Neji jabbed the inside of Kakashi's elbows with finality, before one again opening the tenketsu around his heart.

Kakashi's eye flew open immediately, his chest rising sharply as he sucked in a deep breath. Panting and disorientated, he struggled against Shikamaru's jutsu, forcing his damaged body against the shadowy restraints. But as soon as Sakura stepped into view he relaxed, his eye softening as she leaned over him.

"Easy, Kakashi-sensei." She said in a soft voice. "Just take deep breaths. You're safe. Hush now."

She sat on the bed, smoothing the silver hair away from his sweaty face before taking his hand. And then she looked up at Neji expectantly. After a moment of careful examination, Neji deactivated his dojutsu and nodded.

"No extensive trauma. Regular chakra healing will be enough."

"Hear that?" Sakura said, still in that gentle voice. "You're going to be fine."

She waited until Kakashi had nodded slightly before pulling her hands away from his, a green chakra glow appearing around them as she went to work on his exhausted heart. Kakashi's eye never left her face as she leaned over him, laboring over his wounds.

"That went well." Shikamaru said lightly as he released his jutsu. The shadowy tendrils snapped back beneath the bed. "But now the question is -"

Shikamaru was interrupted as a medic ran into the room, his face drained of colour as he said quietly, "Uchiha-sama is here, and he looks -"

Before the man could finish speaking, the door burst open again, and Sasuke stormed into the room, covered with a gory spray of blood. He went straight to Kakashi's bed, staring down at his former teacher with blazing red eyes.

"Sakura, Hyuga," He said in his cold voice, "Naruto would like a full medical report by the time he returns. And Yamato, he expects a detailed mission report as well."

"Returns?" Sakura looked up from Kakashi's chest. "From where?"

"The scene, of course." Sasuke replied flatly. "He needed to get a feel for it himself, examine the chakra traces. I believe he also intended to search for survivors."

"You let him go alone?" Sakura hissed.

Sasuke laughed humorlessly. "Sakura, you know better than anyone that you don't "let" Naruto do anything. He does exactly what he wants, when he wants it. I'm just following orders."

He looked down at Kakashi again, his frown deepening. He looked pale and agitated under the humming hospital lights. "Naruto was…distraught when he heard the news. I am truly glad to see you well, sensei."

When Kakashi had nodded to him, Sasuke rounded on Shikamaru.

"Nara, once this is done, go home and get some sleep." He ordered, sharingan eyes gleaming with emotion. "And take Hyuga with you. One thing's for sure: the real target of this attack wasn't the politician or his envoy. It was our shinobi. Specifically Kakashi-sensei. Someone out there is attacking our inner circle, and we are going to find out who and why."

"Inner circle?" Neji chimed in. "Who else was attacked?"

Sasuke ran his hands over his face, looking thoroughly exhausted. "I was attacked as soon as I left Naruto's side. Shino and his team were ambushed during their patrol, and Sai was attacked in his home. Shino and his team got away without injury. Sai was stabbed, but nothing fatal. He's staying at our house tonight. Sakura, I suggest you stay here with Kakashi. Yamato, I need you to round up the rest of the Konoha Eleven and explain the situation. No one is allowed to be alone until we get to the bottom of this."

They all exchanged serious looks.

"We are going to find out who did this." Sasuke repeated venomously. "And I am going to fucking _destroy_ them."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura's hands trembled slightly. "This is going to destroy her, Naruto."
> 
> "I know." He whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning, my sweet babies. This chapter is a little darker than the others. Please read with caution if you're sensitive to that kind of stuff!
> 
> This is also the last of the pre-completed chapters, so I'll be uploading them at a more...human...rate from now on. 
> 
> Hugs and kisses,  
> Nate

Chapter 8

* * *

 

The moon was bright over Naruto as he squatted on the silent road, his calloused fingers carefully tracing the wagon tracks in the soft ground.

A few feet in front of him, the carriage that the politician had been riding in was tipped on its side and charred black, the horses that had been pulling it a tangled, shadowy mass in the dirt.

His face set as hard as stone, Naruto approached the carriage, peering inside. Two corpses, assumedly the politician and his wife, lay together. Their burnt bodies were twisted and horribly disfigured, the clawed remains of their hands still grasping desperately at the carriage walls. The scent of charred flesh made Naruto's throat tighten.

Scattered around the carriage were the bodies of the Konoha shinobi, still as shadows in the moonlight. Naruto went to them one by one, examining their injuries, whispering his apologies to each of them in turn. They were all so young. Children, barely out of the academy. One of them, wearing a badge that marked her as one of Sakura's medical trainees, lay overtop of a comrade. A long sword impaled them both to the ground.

Naruto frowned as he walked over to them, bending down to examine the sword carefully. It was unmarked and unremarkable; no distinguishing features to point him in the direction of its owner. Still frowning, Naruto ran his hand up and down the hilt slowly, trying to detect even the faintest trace of chakra. When this yielded no results, he even went so far as the pensively sniff at the sword. But even with his heightened senses, all Naruto could smell was death.

A slight rustling in the trees lining the road drew Naruto's attention. When he glanced over, a dozen pairs of eyes stared back at him. A murder of crows perched in the trees above him, waiting patiently for him to leave so they could descend upon their feast. Naruto growled, low and threatening, but the carrion birds seemed unconcerned.

He turned away from them, mind once again bent on his task. After a few more minutes spent wandering amongst the bodies, Naruto finally found what he was looking for: an enemy.

Naruto flipped the kunoichi over, examining her carefully. Just like the sword, this woman's clothing and appearance were unremarkable. Naruto could easily feel the lingering traces of her chakra. It wasn't one that he recognized.

Sighing in agitation, Naruto abruptly stood, summoning a clone as he did. When the clone appeared beside him, it didn't hesitate before stooping to pull the kunoichi's body into his arms, nose wrinkling slightly with disgust.

"Should I send a team to guard the scene until it gets properly investigated?" The clone asked.

"Yes," Naruto replied, nodding distractedly. "Once you drop off the body, find Sasuke and tell him I'll be back before morning."

The clone frowned. "Okay but, you should hurry back, you know. Sasuke's mad at us. Again."

"I know." Naruto sighed.

Without another word, the clone turned on the ball of his foot and vanished into the night. Naruto sighed again, taking a few steps towards the blackness of the forest. He would go and examine the location where Kakashi and Yamato were attacked. Hopefully his search would yield more results there.

He hadn't gotten very far when the slightest stirring caught his attention.

Somewhere nearby, someone's chakra began to weakly flow.

Naruto whipped around wildly as a faint moan reached his ears. He began weaving back towards the overturned carriage, his eyes fixed on the two bodies impaled together. He knelt down beside them, and after a moment of hesitation, carefully moved the long brown hair of the fallen medical kunoichi. The man beneath her groaned again, his eyelids twitching as a sudden rush of air flowed over him. Without the kunoichi's hair covering his face, Naruto was able to recognize the boy, and his stomach twisted into an icy knot.

It was Ino's student, Eros, who had just been made Chunin in the last examinations.

His breath stalling in his chest, Naruto turned back to the kunoichi, lifting her hair once more. Blank, unseeing eyes met he gaze; blood was still dripping down from her parted lips.

"Damn it all." Naruto growled, his hands shaking with fury. " _Aya-chan_."

The sound of his voice made Eros stir again, his eyebrows knit together in a frown as he slowly opened his eyes. For a moment he simply stared up at the night sky, mapping out the gleaming stars. And then his eyes slid blankly over to Naruto's face, and it was a while before recognition dawned in them.

"Naruto-sama?" The boy whispered, his voice raspy and barely audible. "Am I dead?"

"No," Naruto shook his head, hands trembling slightly as he stroked long hairs away from Eros' face. "You're alive. You're here with me."

Eros seemed relieved, some of the tension melting away from his expression.

"That's good," He mumbled. "Ino-sensei would have been upset…if I died…oh, that's right. Aya was healing me. I think…I got stabbed."

Naruto swallowed nervously as Eros' eyes strayed back to his face. Looking confused, he weakly attempted to lift up his head, but Naruto discreetly held it down.

"Easy now." Naruto murmured, trying to mimic the soothing tone he had heard Sakura use on patients so many times.

"Why do I still feel like I got stabbed?" Eros asked, confusion in his voice. "Aya said she would heal me."

His eyes widened alarmingly, what little colour remained in his face draining completely. "Gods. Aya! Where is Aya? I promised Leon I would protect her! Naruto-sama, where is Aya?"

"Eros," Naruto replied shakily. "You have to stay calm."

With a violent shaking of his head, Eros dislodged Naruto's gentle hand, attempting to sit up. And then he froze. For a moment, he simply stared at his teammates familiar face, her hair still streaming across his chest like a shining robe.

"A-Aya?" He whispered, raising a shaking hand to touch her. He immediately pulled his hand away, shuddering at the iciness of her skin. And then his eyes strayed up to the sword looming above them. With growing horror, his eyes traced down the shining blade, following its path as it pierced Aya's prone back, through her heart, and into his chest.

Without warning, Eros screamed. His body convulsed wildly and he screamed again, the blade still lodged within him cutting him as he moved. He reached up to scramble wildly at the blade, cutting his fingers as he hyperventilated, blind panic in his eyes.

"Naruto-sama, help me!" He screamed. "Help me! Get it out - get it out of her! Get it out!"

Naruto tried in vain to calm him. Quickly giving up, he grabbed Eros' hands and squeezed them together tightly. "Stop, Eros! You're hurting yourself!"

The boy laughed, his eyes wild and unseeing as his chest continued to rise and fall rapidly, but no air reached his lungs. "You think I care?" He choked out. "You think I _care_?"

Not knowing what else to do, Naruto drew upon his vast pools of chakra. The familiar, comforting glow of gold rushed over his skin, and Naruto directed it towards Eros. The boy shuddered again as Naruto's chakra surrounded him with warmth and light, healing the fresh wounds on his hands. He stopped hyperventilating, but tears began pouring from his eyes as he gasped for air.

"Please, Naruto-sama." Eros cried, staring at his Hokage pleadingly. "Please take the sword out. I can't…I can't see Aya like this. Please."

"I can't pull it out." Naruto replied, sadness pinching at the corners of his eyes. He felt very old, all of a sudden. "Look, Eros."

He carefully helped the boy to lift his head, gently moving Aya's hair so that Eros could see where the blade entered his chest.

"Aya-chan was trying to heal the wound around the blade." Naruto explained softly. "If I pull it out now, I'd only make it worse."

"Why would she do that?" Eros asked shakily. "She was dying! Why wouldn't she try to heal her own wounds first?"

"You were her friend." Naruto's voice was deep and coarse with emotion. "She loved you. Until the end, all she wanted was to protect you."

Eros laughed weakly.

"Stupid Aya." He whispered. "That was my job. I promised Leon."

And then he flung his arms over his face, finally giving in to his emotions. As Naruto watched, Eros wailed into the night, his agonized cries echoing through the trees. Taking advantage of his distraction, Naruto reached over the grab the sword. With as much effort as it takes to snap a twig, he broke the blade above Aya's back. After glancing warily at Eros, Naruto proceeded to carefully lift Aya's body off the sword.

Fresh blood ran down the metal onto Eros' chest. He lifted his arms away from his face, staring down at himself, and then over to the body in Naruto's arms. Eros gestured towards her wordlessly, and Naruto lay Aya'a body down beside him. He hugged her close without hesitation, burying his face in her hair.

"Naruto-sama," He mumbled, body beginning to shudder again with pain and tears. "Will you take us home? Just like this?"

"Of course." Naruto whispered.

Without pause, he slid his strong arms beneath them, scooping Eros and Aya up together. Just like he had done a couple years ago. They had been so much smaller then…

Naruto shook his head before standing. Eros cried out once in pain, but then he fell silent, holding onto his fallen comrade tightly. Glancing warily towards the still-watchful crows, Naruto paused to cast several barriers over the entire scene. Once this was done, he turned and strode a few steps down the road, the moisture in the air sizzling softly where it met his chakra.

He vanished with a surge of power, the world fading into darkness as he teleported. Milliseconds later, he reappeared beneath Konoha's main gates. The shinobi on guard jumped in surprise.

"Hokage-sama!" He saluted, wide eyes straying down to the cargo Naruto carried. "We just received orders from your clone. A team is being assembled immediately, sir!"

"Good work." Naruto replied as he strode away, his long legs carrying them through the silent streets quickly. As soon as they were out of earshot, Naruto whispered, "You still with me, Eros?"

The boy nodded weakly, but offered no other response.

"Good." Naruto said. "We'll be at the hospital soon. We'll find someone to help you."

The boy swallowed thickly through his tears. "I…I want Ino-sensei." He whispered. "I don't have a family. Sensei and Leon and A-Aya…they're all I have."

"I understand."

By now, Naruto was climbing the hospital steps. His face was pinched with emotion, his golden chakra roiling around them like angry flames. He kicked open the door, sliding in before it could swing shut on them. The nurse behind the counter jumped to her feet.

"Hokage-sama!" She exclaimed. "What on earth -? I'll call for Haruno-sensei right away!"

Naruto nodded, standing patiently while the nurse picked up the phone, her voice crackling over the intercom as she called for Sakura. A few moments later, Naruto's head turned in the direction of her rapidly approaching chakra. Sakura burst through the swinging doors, her white lab coat billowing behind her. She took in the scene as she strode towards them, reaching out as she grew closer. Her fingers immediately went to Eros and Aya's necks, feeling for a pulse.

After a moment she frowned, green eyes flashing upwards towards Naruto's face. "Naruto, she's…"

"I know." Naruto whispered, glancing meaningfully towards Eros.

Sakura nodded, gesturing for him to follow as she turned and began walking quickly back the way she had come. Without hesitation, Naruto followed her into one of the sterile operating rooms, loosening the curl of his arms to allow her the lift Eros away from him. They detached his grip on Aya with difficulty.

"No!" The boy cried, reaching wildly. "Don't take her away!"

"I won't take her anywhere," Naruto said soothingly, adjusting his hold on Aya so that he could reach over and hold Eros down on the operating table. "We'll stay right here, okay?"

Eros nodded frantically, eyes still wide with pain and shock. He didn't even notice as Sakura approached him with a needle, cutting back his sleeve so she could sterilize the inside of his arm. The drugs worked on him quickly. Within minutes, Eros' head fell to the side, his eyes closed as he fell unconscious.

Naruto backed away from the table as Sakura pulled on a fresh pair of gloves, her pink hair secured behind her headband.

"What on earth happened, Naruto?" She asked, examining the sword still impaling Eros' chest.

"From what I gathered," Naruto exhaustedly replied, laying Aya down on the cool tile floor. "Eros was injured in the fight. Aya tried to heal him, but left herself vulnerable. Someone stabbed her, straight through the heart, right into Eros. I found them…stuck together. I thought they were both dead."

"But the wound has started to heal." Sakura said, confused. "Did she…did Aya-chan try and heal him, even as she lay dying?"

"She was selfless until the end." Naruto whispered, glancing down at the girl. "She would have made a great medic, some day."

Sakura blinked away tears. She set herself to work, cutting away Eros' clothes so she had a clear view of the wound. After sterilizing the area, she reached for her scalpel and began carefully cutting through the skin around the blade. Fresh blood ran down the boy's chest, and she hastily wiped it away. After a few minutes, she nodded curtly and placed her scalpel aside.

"Okay." She said. "I need you to come over here and help me."

"What do you need me to do?"

"First of all, turn off the glow for a bit." Sakura ordered, eyeing Naruto's golden chakra. "I need you to pull out the blade _slowly_ , okay? I'm going to heal him a bit at a time. If we try and pull it out all at once, he'll bleed to death in minutes."

"Got it." Naruto nodded, diminishing his chakra immediately. He reached out to grasp the sword carefully, waiting until Sakura was ready.

Healing chakra glowed in her hands as she held them over Eros' chest. "Okay, pull it out. Only about half a centimeter at a time, understand? Any more than that, and I won't be able to keep up with the bleeding. Wait until I give you the go-ahead before pulling it again."

"Okay." Naruto said gravely, gently pulling the blade up.

"Stop there." Sakura said with a nod, leaning over to concentrate on her healing. Five minutes later, she nodded again. "Okay, give me more."

Again Naruto pulled, and Sakura healed. After half an hour had passed, Sakura's eyes flashed over to the silent body in the corner.

"Naruto," She began tensely. "How long…how long do you think she's been dead?"

"Just under twelve hours now, I think." Naruto frowned deeply. "She died quickly. Her wounds were serious, after all. She didn't suffer for long."

"Gods," Sakura whispered, green eyes swimming. "This poor boy. Pinned beneath his dead teammate for almost a day…"

"He was unconscious until I got there." Naruto reassured her, pulling up the blade at her urging.

"A small blessing." She replied. "But he's never going to recover from this, Naruto. The trauma something like this causes is…intense."

"I can't even imagine." Naruto shuddered. "As soon as we're done here, we should send for Ino. Eros was asking for her."

Sakura's hands trembled slightly. "This is going to destroy her, Naruto."

"I know." He whispered.

Almost thirty more minutes of labor passed before Naruto was finally able to pull the sharp blade free. He placed it on the tray Sakura gestured to before turning back to watch her chakra stitching together the last of the wound.

"If you're almost done here, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, "I should go and find Ino."

"No, I'll do that." Sakura said, her voice straining with exhaustion. "Actually, Naruto, I was hoping that you could take over for me here. To be honest, I was already pretty tired from healing Kakashi-sensei before we started."

"Oh," Naruto said, surprised. "Of course."

His golden chakra poured through his skin again, enveloping them all. Sakura let her hands fall limply at her side, sighing softly as she momentarily enjoyed the sensation of Naruto's life-giving chakra washing over her. And then she turned, pulling off her gloves and depositing them in the medical waste bin.

"Once you get a chance, you should go check in on Kakashi-sensei." She said wearily. "But NO business talk, okay? All he can think about is how he failed you. Reassure him for me. He won't heal if he's worrying himself to death."

Naruto smiled weakly. "Yeah, sure."

"And I'm going to send someone to collect Aya-chan's body," She added softly.

"But I promised Eros -" Naruto began to object.

"No." Sakura ordered curtly. "That boy is absolutely _not_ going to wake up to the face of his dead friend. It's way too macabre. I don't give a damn what you promised him. And besides," she added in a gentler tone. "She's starting to smell."

Naruto had no choice but to agree.

"He can visit her in the morgue, when I decide he's ready." Sakura rubbed at her eyes. Her exhaustion was obvious now. "I'll send someone to take him to a room. Keep healing him for another half hour, okay?"

Once Naruto had nodded, Sakura turned and slowly walked out of the room. Once the doors had swung shut behind her, Naruto turned to examine the unconscious boy.

His skin was sickly pale from the loss of blood, his lips cracked and dry. His tightly clenched eyes were puffy and rimmed with red, while dark circles surrounded them. Eros had always been a handsome boy, with his dark hair and deep blue eyes. It was painful to see him withered and drenched in blood - the pain still obvious on his face despite his unconsciousness.

Naruto shut his eyes, allowing his mind to drift as he let his chakra work. A million dark and troubling thoughts flashed across his mind, but for now he was too tired to entertain them. Instead, as he did so often, Naruto turned his thoughts to Sasuke.

In that moment, Naruto wanted him desperately. Wanted the warm reassurance of his presence. Too much was happening all at once, and Naruto once again found himself afraid that everything he had worked so hard for was being taken away. The small body in the corner nagged at his conscience. Aya wasn't even sixteen years old…

Blinking away the hot sting of tears, Naruto reapplied himself to the task at hand. He didn't look up from Eros' face, not when attendants came to collect Aya's body, nor when they returned to transfer Eros to a recovery room. But once he was finally certain that not a scratch remained on the boy, Naruto shook himself before leaving the room immediately.

He needed to move, needed to do something. His skin itched with restlessness as he followed the traces of Kakashi's chakra, traversing the halls like a sleepwalker. The door to Kakashi's room was open, so he entered without knocking. Captain Yamato was asleep in the chair by Kakashi's bed, his slow breathing the only sound in the quiet room.

Naruto walked over to the window and slid it open, breathing in the night air deeply. He could feel Kakashi watching him intently, but neither of them spoke for a long time. Finally, Naruto sighed.

"I'm glad you're okay, Kakashi-sensei." He said in a low voice, trying not to wake Yamato. "When I heard that you had been badly injured, I went a little crazy."

Kakashi hummed a vague response, but was otherwise silent, not trusting himself to speak.

Before either of them could figure out what to say next, the sound of racing footsteps reached their ears. Seconds later, Ino burst into the room with Sakura on her heels, her blond hair a mess around her red and tear soaked face. Yamato woke with a start as Ino stormed over to Kakashi's bed, raised her shaking hand, and slapped him hard across the face.

Naruto and Sakura cried out in alarm as Kakashi's face jerked to the side violently, his headband sent flying from the force of Ino's strike. Without hesitating, Ino grabbed the front of Kakashi's shirt, hauling him up so that his face was inches away from hers, his mismatched eyes wide with shock and pain.

"They were children." Ino whispered, her voice shaking with barely-contained emotion. " _Children_ , Kakashi. And now Aya-chan, my sweet Aya-chan, is dead. Gone forever."

Her entire body began to tremble, her expression twisting alarmingly as she shook Kakashi roughly. She was screaming at him now, sobbing violently. "She was just a child! You were supposed to protect them! It should have been you, Kakashi! It should have been you!"

"Ino!" Sakura barked, stepping forward to drag her away. "That's enough!"

"Fuck you!" Ino wailed, struggling in vain to free herself from Sakura's strong arms. "I'll kill him myself, Sakura! It's the least he deserves!"

Suddenly she turned, collapsing into Sakura's chest, her rage dissolving into misery.

"I know," Sakura said, stroking her hair gently. "I know, sweetheart. Hush now."

"How could this happen?" Ino asked.

Heavy silence filled the room. Everyone but Ino was staring at Kakashi, who was still staring straight ahead in shock. An angry red mark in the shape of Ino's fingers appeared on the upper part of his cheekbone, disappearing underneath his mask.

After a while, Sakura spoke to Ino softly. "Come on, Ino-chan, let's get you cleaned up. You should be there to comfort Eros when he wakes."

Ino nodded weakly, allowing herself to be guided out of the room. Yamato rose immediately to follow them, clearly concerned that Ino was liable to have another violent outburst.

As soon as they were alone, Kakashi's eyes turned to Naruto searchingly. Pleadingly. It was a look he had never given Naruto before, and Naruto prayed he never would again.

"I don't blame you." Naruto said gently. "I blame the ones who attacked you. I'm going to fix this, Kakashi-sensei. I swear to you."

Kakashi didn't respond. Instead, he lay back once more, draping his arm over his eyes.

Recognizing the countenance of a man who wanted to be alone, Naruto left the room, shutting the door softly. Not wanting to spend another second in the halls of that damned hospital, Naruto crossed to the nearest window, yanking it open and disappearing into the night.

* * *

 

Sasuke was pacing, anger and concern fueling the agitation of his steps. He had taken the time to bathe, hoping to distract himself while awaiting Naruto's return, but his bloodied ANBU uniform still lay on the bathroom floor.

His dark hair, damp and free of its usual ponytail, streamed behind him as he paced. The lights in the kitchen gleamed on his alabaster skin, his naked torso tensed. Finally, he heard the familiar sound of Naruto's steps on the porch. Heart jumping with relief, Sasuke raced out into the hall, eager to greet his lover.

And there he was. He was dirtied, bloodied, smelling of death and exhaustion - but he was there, and he was Sasuke's. Their eyes met and they both sighed, the warmth of reunion easing their minds.

"So?" Sasuke encouraged gently, raking his gaze over Naruto, carefully making sure that none of the blood was his own.

Naruto shook his head. "Too much shit went down tonight, Sasuke. Bad shit. I can't deal with it right now."

He kicked off his sandals and stepped up into the hallway, pulling Sasuke into his arms. Sasuke leaned into his chest, drinking in Naruto's scent and the familiarity of his solid body pressed against Sasuke's own.

"Sasuke?" Naruto placed a soft kiss on his exposed shoulder. "I want to make love to you. Is that okay?"

Sasuke pulled away enough to look up at Naruto's face. He was so handsome, with his sunshine blond hair falling around his strongly crafted face. But his eyes were sad, sadder than Sasuke had seen them in years. He reached up to touch Naruto's face tenderly, his thumb gliding lightly over the dark circles beneath Naruto's eyes.

"Do you think it'll help?" He asked gently.

Naruto tilted his head into Sasuke's touch. "Yeah, for a while."

He really was exhausted. His shoulders were slumped, his eyelids heavy. He swayed slightly in Sasuke's arms.

"I just don't want to think about anything else but you right now, you know?"

Sasuke frowned. But without another word, he kissed Naruto, slowly and gently. Without breaking away, he pulled off Naruto's cloak and vest, slipping his nimble fingers beneath Naruto's shirt. Naruto hummed appreciatively at his attention, pulling away from their kiss to help Sasuke pull his shirt over his blond head.

As soon as he was free, their lips met again with greater passion. Sasuke pushed Naruto against the wall, his dark eyes flashing as he kissed his way down Naruto's chest, sinking to his knees.

"I'm mad at you." Sasuke murmured and he undid the button on Naruto's pants, struggling to pull the zipper down over his erection. "Running off alone to the scene of the attack was reckless and stupid."

"I know," Naruto said, gasping softly as Sasuke freed him from the tight confines of his pants.

"I hope it was worth it." Sasuke continued, teasing his tongue along the bottom of Naruto's shaft.

Naruto moaned as Sasuke's lips enveloped him. He panted slightly. "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"And?" Sasuke crooned, enjoying the power he currently had over his partner.

"And I love you." Naruto said in a gentle voice.

Sasuke paused, glancing up at Naruto from his knees. "Well, the correct answer was, "And I'll never do it again", but you still get points for that."

Naruto laughed warmly, staring down at Sasuke with affectionate eyes. For the moment, all his troubles were forgotten. He reached down to cradle Sasuke under the jaw, pulling slightly to encourage him to stand. As soon as he was on his feet, Naruto scooped Sasuke up and carried him down the hall with urgency.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders, threading his hands into his hair as he kissed Naruto's neck.

"I love you." Naruto repeated.

"And I you." Sasuke murmured.

Naruto slammed the bedroom door shut behind them and got to work on Sasuke's body, exhaustion be damned. He was safe in Sasuke's arms.

Reality would have to wait until morning.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru shook his head slowly. “What the fuck is up with today?” He asked shakily.

Chapter 9

* * *

 

“The Gods are punishing me.” Shikamaru muttered. “That’s the only explanation.”

He stood alone in his kitchen, glaring at the kettle as he waited for it to boil. A tray with a teapot and two mugs sat waiting on the counter, just as Neji sat waiting on the porch overlooking the garden.

“Bring Neji home with you, Shikamaru.” He continued. “Give him tea! Talk about your feelings! Braid his hair! Fucking Uchiha.”

He continued to grumble, crossing and uncrossing his arms a dozen times. The idea of sharing the same roof with Neji until they got to the bottom of this new threat was concerning. While his feelings towards Neji were decidedly mixed, Shikamaru was fully aware of his attraction to the man. And he completely doubted his ability to keep his hands to himself.

“He’s straight. Straight as a board. Lord of the Stick-in-the-Ass Clan. Never going to happen.” Shikamaru lectured himself.

He twisted his neck slightly, sighing when it cracked in several places. As the water finally began to boil, Shikamaru’s alcohol-addled brain turned to more pressing matters. He replayed the events at the hospital in his head like a movie, having trouble believing that it had all really happened.

Kakashi had almost died. Like really, actually died. If it hadn’t been for Neji…thank the gods he hadn’t been away on a mission. There were plenty of other people in the Hyuga Clan - namely Hinata - who would have been capable of doing what Neji had done. But there was something so reassuring about the way Neji handled himself: proud and calm, even in the direst of circumstances.

Shikamaru felt his forehead creasing, suddenly recalling what had happened after Naruto returned to the village. Although Shikamaru and Neji had already left the hospital, one of the shinobi in Neji’s Black Ops unit had found them to deliver the news. It had been difficult, monumentally so, to hear about events that would shake one of Shikamaru’s dearest friends to the very core from the mouth of an impartial messenger. Especially when a reminder of Sasuke’s order to “go home and stay there” followed the news.

“ _Ino must be devastated.”_ Shikamaru thought as he poured the water into the teapot. _“I want to help somehow, but that’s above my pay grade - definitely Choji’s territory. I should still try and talk to her tomorrow…assuming I get a chance. This entire situation is going to be a drag.”_

He balanced the tray carefully, walking slowly through the dimly lit hallway before emerging out onto the silent porch. Neji sat there, his back rigid after the events of the evening, staring up at the night sky. The moonlight gleamed brightly on his crisply white robes and in his dark hair. His pale eyes flashed as he turned to watch Shikamaru approaching.

“What’s up?” Shikamaru asked.

“I was just thinking,” Neji replied, his voice low. “Is it wise for us to be sitting out here like this? With out comrades being attacked, and Uchiha’s warning…”

Shikamaru groaned. “Fuck Sasuke. I’m not going to cower in a closet just because that ass told me to.”

A soft rush of air passed through Neji’s lips. A laugh? Shikamaru froze, staring down at him. He suddenly remembered his conversation with Hinata. Shikamaru imagined the situation she had described: Neji, sweaty and flushed from sparring, telling his cousin about the funny things Shikamaru said. He imagined them laughing together.

Warmth rose up his neck and onto his cheeks. “ _Neji laughing.”_ He thought, feeling uncomfortably jealous of Hinata, “ _I wonder what that’s like.”_

Neji spoke again, distracting Shikamaru. His Byakugan was active as he did a cursory sweep of the surrounding area. “In all the confusion, Captain Yamato didn’t get a chance to speak with you.”

“Ah,” Shikamaru sighed, setting down the tray between them. He sat slowly, his body stiff with tiredness. “I completely forgot. Have to find him tomorrow.”

Neji hummed low in response, blinking away his Byakugan as he turned. Shikamaru could feel those pale eyes lingering on him as he leaned back on his palms, looking up at the moon. They sat in companionable silence for a long time, listening to the gentle rustling of the leaves and the distant whistling of the deer. It was so calm and peaceful – completely at odds with the events that had taken place earlier that night.

Events that Shikamaru didn’t want to think about anymore. Not until the morning, at least. And so he turned his attention back to Neji, only to jolt in surprise when he realized that Neji’s eyes were _still_ on him. His stomach fluttered with nerves as he tilted his head questioningly. Trying to keep his expression composed, Shikamaru reached for the teapot, pouring the contents into their mugs.

“I hope it does not inconvenience your family too much,” Neji said, sounding stiff and formal again. “Having me here for an extended period of time. I will assist in any way I can.”

Shikamaru snorted, handing Neji his tea. “Don’t worry about it. My folks are, uh, on a very extended vacation.”

Neji sipped his tea slowly. “May I inquire as to why?”

“A couple reasons.” Shikamaru replied, sounding bored. “Firstly, and most importantly, the war took a really big toll on my old man. Guess he never imagined he’d be fighting two wars in his lifetime. And he lost a lot of good friends. Ones he’s had since his academy days.”

Neji nodded, his expression serious. “Understandable.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru muttered, shifting his posture awkwardly. He glanced away from Neji. “And the second reason is, well, my mom didn’t take the news about my…preferences…very well.”

He felt Neji glance at him again, and kept his own eyes carefully pointed towards the lawn. He knew Neji wanted to search his expression and Shikamaru stubbornly denied him the chance. He heard Neji shift slightly on the smoothly polished wood beneath them.

“She disapproves?”

A strange sound, half way between a sigh and a laugh, found its way through Shikamaru’s lips. “That’s putting it mildly. She went _berserk._ It was the first time in my life that I was scared of the damn woman. She kept yelling about _‘responsibility to the family’_ and _‘honoring the Clan’_ and other bullshit. She said she couldn’t look at me anymore and left. My dad went with her.”

Neji swallowed, his expression tight. He had no idea that Shikamaru had been having such a hard time at home. He was very familiar with the phrases Shikamaru’s mother had hurtled at him, and Neji found himself struggling with a mixture of emotions. He was angry with Mrs. Nara for hurting her son, but at the same time he felt a newfound sense of camaraderie with Shikamaru.

He frowned. “Your father went with her? Does that mean he shares her sentiments?”

Shikamaru sipped his tea. His fingers were shaking. He’d never spoken to anyone about this. Not even Choji, whom he’d lied to about his parents sudden departure. “No, thankfully.” Shikamaru finally managed to say. “I came out to my dad a while back, when the war first started. I guess, it was important enough that I didn’t want to risk either of us dying before I’d told him. He was really cool about it. He said he was proud of me, and that all he wanted was for me to be happy.”

“That was kind of him.” Neji said, slightly surprised.

Shikamaru nodded. “Yeah, it felt great. And then when the war was over, I came out to Ino and Choji, and then everyone else eventually over the last couple years. I thought my mom was the last one to know, but I guess it was actually you. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine.” Neji replied quickly, wishing that Shikamaru would look at him.

Shikamaru’s fingers curled tightly around the edge of the porch. “At least she didn’t just kick me out of the house. But it’s been months since I’ve seen them. My dad sends me letters, telling me where they are, but they’ve been getting less frequent. It…” Shikamaru hesitated.

A fresh breeze snaked through the looming forest, making the leaves dance and ghosting over them. Shikamaru lifted his face into it, and Neji turned to study his profile. His sharp eyes were closed, his mouth set in a firm line. His jaw was firmly clenched, the muscles taut in his slender neck. As Neji’s eyes travelled down Shikamaru’s throat, he noticed the dark stain of bruises on his skin. Bruises that Neji had made.

Neji swallowed hard as guilt, and something else that had his stomach knotting, boiled through his veins. He was distracted by Shikamaru’s voice as the genius finally finished his thought.

“It hurts a little more every day.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “My mom was always so supportive in everything. She was…a safe place to land at the end of the day, you know? She’s a troublesome woman, and living with her was a total drag most of the time. But…”

His voice trailed off again, and this time Neji knew he didn’t intend to continue. He cleared his throat gently. “She’ll come around.” He said confidently. “You’re her son, after all.”

“What’s the big deal, anyways?” Shikamaru muttered bitterly. “It’s not like I’m the only queer person in this damn village! Naruto – _the fucking Hokage_ – is bisexual and practically married to Sasuke! And speaking of, Sasuke mentioned to me once that the only person he’s ever felt _any_ attraction to is Naruto! Then there’s Tenten! She has a new girlfriend every week! So who cares if I’m gay? It doesn’t change anything else about me.”

Shikamaru finally turned to look at Neji. The moonlight illuminated half of his face, the other half immersed in shadow, as those sharp eyes studied Neji. Unashamedly, Neji returned his gaze, searching Shikamaru’s face. The sadness etched into his angular features made Neji ache. He felt a sudden impulse to reach out and touch Shikamaru, but he stifled it, gripping his teacup harder.

“I’m sorry,” Neji said in a low voice. “I had no idea. There are so many things that I didn’t know. I - if you’re comfortable with it, that is - I’d like it if you would tell me more. About you, I mean.”

Now it was Neji’s turn to look away. He felt Shikamaru’s eyes on him, studying, assessing, and it set his nerves on edge. But on the outside he looked perfectly composed, sipping his tea politely. When Shikamaru spoke again, his voice was different. It was still sad and low, but now there was something burning in it, like a spark had ignited in Shikamaru’s chest.

“Listen, Neji.” He said, leaning closer. “The only reason I’m going to say this is because I’m still a little drunk and I know this is probably my only chance. So don’t interrupt me. On second thought, don’t respond at all. Tomorrow you can pretend you never heard me say it.”

Neji stiffened, but remained silent. Shikamaru seemed to interpret that as permission, because Neji heard him inhale deeply to steady himself before continuing.

“I’m attracted to you.”

Neji jolted in surprise, turning to Shikamaru with wide eyes before he could stop himself. As soon as their eyes met, Neji froze, unable to look away as Shikamaru went on.

“It’s not exactly surprising. Like, man, you must be aware of how fucking good looking you are. Having to share a house with you is going to be torture. But I know you’re straight. So out of respect for you, I wanted to let you know how I feel. And apologize if it makes you uncomfortable.”

_Uncomfortable?_

Neji stared in disbelief.

And in that moment, years of confused emotions all bubbled to the surface. Images of Shikamaru flashed through Neji’s mind in a blur, his mouth going dry as he carefully placed his cup down on the porch. Neji’s mind finally settled on the events from that morning; his hands on Shikamaru’s body, whose pulse began to race beneath Neji’s pressing fingers. The way his muscular body tightened under Neji as he pinned him. The way his breath hitched through his parted lips.

Neji ran a hand over his eyes in exasperation, wishing Shikamaru would stop staring at him for one _blessed_ moment. Just until this barrage of images stopped assaulting his brain.

Shikamaru spoke again, sounding slightly nervous now. “Like I said, you don’t have to respond or anything. And it’s not like it’s a love confession. Most of the time you’re still a giant pain in the ass. But sometimes…I guess sometimes I like you.”

_Shikamaru, panting and filthy, his expression wide with shock as he stared at Neji. The war had just ended, and everyone else was running around yelling, embracing, and crying with joy. Only Shikamaru stood perfectly still, smiling at Neji with a mixture of relief and elation. While everyone else was looking towards the heroes, Shikamaru was looking at Neji._

“I hope this doesn’t make it difficult for us to work together.” Shikamaru was saying, his voice speeding up slightly. “It definitely won’t affect me, I’ve thought you were attractive for years, so…”

_Shikamaru, his hair a tangled mess, standing half naked in the garden: the moonlight gentle on his tanned skin._

_Half asleep and grumpy, Shikamaru’s sarcastic voice as he complained about being tired in the morning._

_Shikamaru smiling. His freckles. The one cheek that dimples. His eyes. His fingers._

_Shikamaru._

“It’s late.” The Nara genius said quickly. “Stay up as long as you’d like, but I’m heading to bed. The guest room is the one down the hall.”

He was standing up. Moving away. Neji panicked slightly, his voice coming out louder and more urgently than he intended it to.

“Nara!”

Neji rose to his feet as Shikamaru froze with his hand on the door to his bedroom, his back rigid. He didn’t turn until Neji stood directly behind him. Shikamaru jumped when he noticed how close Neji was standing and backed away instinctively, only to find that he was trapped between Neji’s body and the door.

“What?” He asked defensively, sharp eyes narrowing.

“Nothing.” Neji quickly said, averting his gaze. “I just wanted to tell you that it…it does not make me uncomfortable. If anything, I am flattered that you think of me that way.”

Shikamaru scoffed. “Neji, _everyone_ thinks of you that way.”

Neji hummed nervously, not knowing what to say. He didn’t care what anyone else thought. But hearing that Shikamaru found him attractive made a glowing, bubbling warmth rise in Neji’s chest. Finally he shook his head, his voice coming out quietly as he began. “Nara, I can not seem to stop thinking about–!”

Shikamaru’s hand flew to Neji’s mouth, cutting him off. He took half a step to the side, staring past Neji towards the forest. Shikamaru whispered urgently, “Quiet! Did you hear that?”

Neji scowled. All he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He shook his head, reaching up to pull Shikamaru’s hand away from his face.

Before he could speak, Shikamaru flinched; his entire body rigid as he ducked around Neji. He dug around in his weapons pouch as he ran to the edge of the porch, jumping into the garden and sprinting towards the forest. By the time Neji’s brain caught up with the situation, Shikamaru was vanishing in the darkness below the trees.

“Nara!” He called, activating his dojutsu as he ran into the garden. His feet made scarcely a sound as he sprinted after the bolting Nara. He felt extremely grateful for his Byakugan – without it, he would have lost Shikamaru already. The speed with which Shikamaru reacted made Neji frown with concern. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw Shikamaru move that quickly.

He was just about to call Shikamaru’s name again when he finally heard it: the shrill scream of a wounded deer. Neji’s eyes widened. No wonder Shikamaru had reacted the way he did. With his father gone, Shikamaru was responsible not only for the Nara Clan, but also their roaming herds of deer.

Neji surged forward with speed, his eyes firmly fixed on Shikamaru’s weakly flickering chakra. The distance between them closed quickly as Shikamaru began to weave back and forth strangely – following a blood trail, Neji realized.

Cursing inwardly, Neji ran faster still, catching up to Shikamaru just as he reached the end of the trail. They both skidded to a halt on the dewy grass of a small hillock, breathing hard as they took in the scene before them.

One of the Nara’s deer, a large buck with proud antlers, lay pinned to the ground by several kunai. It’s soft brown eyes, wide with pain and terror, were fixed on Shikamaru as if in recognition. It bellowed, powerful legs kicking as it tried to rise. For a moment, Shikamaru stood frozen, his mouth open and hands shaking.

Whoever had done this had left a message.

Shikamaru swallowed, trying to ignore the stinging in his eyes as he slowly approached the deer, talking to it soothingly. It only screamed in response, eyes rolling as it tried to get away when Shikamaru knelt beside it. His trembling fingers found the bucks head and he began petting it slowly, trying to calm it as he scowled at the words carved into the beasts flesh. The fresh blood running from the slashes made it difficult, but Shikamaru was finally able to make out three words:

_Leaves. Will. Fall._

“Who would do this?” Shikamaru whispered, turning away from the gory message to try and soothe the buck.

It cried out again, softly this time, it’s eyes losing focus. Neji approached cautiously, watching as Shikamaru gently slid his arm beneath the deer’s head, taking some of the pressure of its neck as he cradled the deer gently. He resumed stroking the soft hair on the deer’s cheek, not stopping until the animal had stopped struggling. Its eyes lost their wild panic and their focus as the lids began to droop. It whistled softly in response when Shikamaru spoke to it again.

“I’m so sorry.” He whispered to the beast. “I’m sorry.”

The animal watched him, calm and trusting, too distracted by his soothing fingers to notice that Shikamaru’s shadow had started creeping forward. Without a sound, the shadow split into several tendrils that rose up from the grass, snaking their way around the buck’s neck. Shikamaru screwed his eyes shut, and the shadow fingers tightened.

The deer’s eyes flew open again, but it was already too weak to struggle. Shikamaru continued stroking it, his voice wavering as he continued to apologize repeatedly. He didn’t stop until the animal had stopped breathing, its head heavy and still in his arms.

The silence of the forest was oppressive. Neji stared blankly at Shikamaru’s face, screwed up with emotion, unsure of what to say or do. Finally, he crouched down, hesitating before gently asking, “Are you alright, Nara?”

Shikamaru shook his head slowly. “What the fuck is up with today?” He asked shakily.

Neji frowned. “Nara…”

“Let’s go.” Shikamaru said, pulling his arms away from the dead deer. “I really can’t deal with this right now.”

He stood abruptly, making his way down the small hill in the direction of the house. But after only a few steps, he suddenly wavered, his legs shaking as he lost his balance. A soft “oh” of surprise passed through his lips as his knees buckled, his entire body going limp as he started to fall.

For the second time that night, Neji was grateful for his Byakugan. If not, he wouldn’t have been able to react in time. As he watched, Shikamaru’s already extremely depleted chakra flickered violently before snapping back on itself like a rubber band. Neji darted forward to catch Shikamaru, who was already unconscious by the time he was wrapped in Neji’s arms.

“Nara!” Neji called, shaking Shikamaru slightly. “Nara! Shikamaru!”

When the only reaction he got was Shikamaru’s head lolling to the side, Neji felt his brow pinching hard with concern. As far as he could tell, Shikamaru wasn’t in mortal danger. But for Shikamaru to push himself so far beyond the point of exhaustion that he fainted? He must have been running on fumes for days. Weeks, even.

It seemed that the mental and emotional strain of the day had finally been too much for Shikamaru’s brain to handle, and it forced Shikamaru’s body to shut down.

Neji glanced around quickly before standing, carrying Shikamaru through the trees as quickly as he could. His first instinct was to go rushing to the hospital immediately in the hopes of finding Sakura and Naruto still there. But a nagging sense of dread had him hastening to Shikamaru’s house instead, eager to be out of the open as quickly as possible.

His breathing was slightly labored by the time he stepped back up onto the porch, his dojutsu still active. Still wary, he used his foot to slide open the door to Shikamaru’s bedroom, slipping inside as quickly as possible. He crossed the dark room with sure steps, kneeling to place Shikamaru on his messy futon.

Neji remained beside him for a moment, staring down at his troubled face. He listened to the sound of Shikamaru’s breathing, studying his chakra network worriedly. It was weak. Too weak.

“Why did you push yourself so hard?” Neji wondered aloud.

When he got no response from the unconscious Nara, Neji silently stood and padded back to the door. After casting one more glance towards the watchful forest, he slid the door shut. But he didn’t deactivate his Byakugan as he returned to Shikamaru’s bedside, settling down to guard him until he woke.

Outside, the mournful cries of the Nara herd echoed through the night. 

Neji had never felt more eager for the sun to rise.

* * *

 

 

Kakashi flinched slightly when his door slid shut.

He lifted his arm, glancing warily towards the intruder, only to sigh when a familiar pink caught his eye. Sakura was leaning exhaustedly against the door, her hair hiding her face as her head drooped towards her chest. Neither of them spoke, the silence stretching on as Kakashi examined Sakura from his hospital bed.

Without warning, her shoulders began to shake.

Her legs bent slightly as she curled into herself, her hands covering her face as silent tears slid down her cheeks.

Kakashi’s eyes widened. He struggled to sit up, but he was still too weak. Mentally cursing his body, he cleared his throat before shakily asking, “Sakura, are you okay?”

A burning wave of emotion rippled through Sakura’s body. “Of course I’m not okay.” She whispered. “Today has been…”

Kakashi’s expression tightened, his eyes sad. “I know.”

“You don’t.” Sakura replied. “You don’t know.”

She finally looked up. Even when she was exhausted, with tears running down her face, Sakura was beautiful. She was as breathtaking as a million cherry blossoms dancing in the breeze. Kakashi held his breath.

Sakura pushed herself away from the door, crossing the room quickly. As she neared Kakashi’s bed, he struggled to rise onto his elbows, rising up just as Sakura rested one knee on the mattress. And then, in one fluid motion, she pulled down Kakashi’s mask and kissed him.

Her hair hid his face as she bent over him, kissing him so forcefully that his weakened arms collapsed beneath him. The pillow puffed around his silver hair as the kunoichi’s lips found his again. Sakura’s cheeks were wet with tears as Kakashi touched them, his fingers trembling slightly.

It took him a moment to realize that Sakura was shaking too. She broke the fusion of their lips and rested her forehead against his, whispering; “I almost lost you today.”

Kakashi’s heart pinched painfully. He watched in silence as Sakura sat up and struggled to wipe away her tears, even as new ones fell from her bright eyes. Her makeup was smudged, her evening dress wrinkled beneath her white lab coat. She looked like she desperately needed a shower and a good nights rest.

And Kakashi was still stunned by her beauty.

“If Neji hadn’t been here…” She continued shakily.

Kakashi reached over to squeeze her hand. “But he was. I’m alright, Sakura.”

She forced a small smile. It was obviously for his benefit, because she still looked miserable. Between Kakashi and the situation with Ino’s team, Sakura was emotionally and physically exhausted.

“You should go home and get some sleep,” Kakashi offered, pulling his mask back up. “I’ll bet tomorrow is going to be just as crazy.”

“But you –“

“Yamato is still here.” Kakashi pointed out lightly. “He’ll be back any minute now.”

Sakura frowned slightly. “Kakashi-sensei, how much longer are we going to keep this a secret? It’s been going on for a year already.”

“Ah,” Kakashi glanced away. “I’ve been thinking about it lately, and…well, give me a little more time. I need to find a way to tell _you-know-who_ in a way that won’t involve me running for my life.”

Sakura looked slightly confused. “You-know-who? Are you talking about my parents? I’ve already told you, they’d be thrilled. My mom’s been hinting that we should get together ever since I turned eighteen. Which is actually kind of creepy, now that I think about it...”

Kakashi laughed nervously. “Not your parents. I’m talking about someone even scarier.”

The faintest of smiles touched Sakura’s lips. “You don’t mean -?”

“I do.” Kakashi replied seriously. “When they hear that someone’s been touching their precious _Sakura-chan_ , I think Naruto and Sasuke might try and kill me.”

At that, Sakura laughed, warmth blooming in her chest.

“Yeah,” She said softly. “Let’s wait a while longer.”

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neji shook his head; his long bangs swaying with the motion. “I will not leave you.”

Chapter 10

* * *

 

 

It was late afternoon by the time Shikamaru woke.

For a moment he lay with his eyes firmly closed, his mind miraculously and blissfully blank.

And then the events from the day before flashed through his brain, replaying sequentially until they suddenly stopped on the moonlit hill. Shikamaru’s thin eyebrows twitched together.

 _“I passed out.”_ Shikamaru thought. _“Damn, that’s lame. And someone mutilated one of our deer…. and I confessed to Neji. Fuck.”_

He sighed, finally cracking one eye open. The door to his bedroom was open to the sunlit garden, a slight breeze drifting through the room. Shikamaru was lying on top of his messy futon, still fully dressed. The slight shuffling of fabric made him aware of someone kneeling beside the bed.

He glanced over, immediately discerning that it was someone of the Hyuga-variety, as the ends of their dark, straight hair rested on the mat between their toes. Shikamaru cast his gaze higher, his tired eyes finding Hinata’s familiar profile.

He sighed again, louder this time, and she turned to look at him. She smiled slightly when their eyes met. “Shikamaru-kun!” She whispered, looking relieved. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got kicked in the head.” Shikamaru muttered. “A lot.”

Hinata hummed nervously. “Should I get you some medicine?”

Shikamaru rubbed at his eyes, shaking his head slowly on the pillow. “Nah, I’ll be fine. Anyways, what are you doing here? Where’s Neji?”

“Ah,” Hinata said softly, her cheeks getting red. She gestured past Shikamaru.

Raising an eyebrow, Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder. And sure enough, Neji was there. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the wall as his head drooped towards his chest. His face was concealed by the fall of his hair, but it was easy enough to tell that he was asleep.

“I came to check on you both after I heard about what happened last night.” Hinata whispered. “Sai-kun got attacked in his own home, and Kakashi-sensei was so seriously injured. It’s horrible! I’ve been so worried about everyone.”

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, glancing at her cousin again before continuing. “Neji nii-san told me about what happened to that deer, Shikamaru-kun. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe someone would do such a thing.”

Shikamaru’s chest pinched painfully. He finally tore his eyes away from Neji’s sleeping form, turning back to Hinata as she went on.

“Neji nii-san must have been exhausted. He stayed up all night to guard you, Shikamaru-kun. And as soon as I arrived, he asked me to take over so he could lead the team investigating the area around that poor animal. He came back to check on you every chance he got.”

Hearing that made Shikamaru feel strangely warm.

When he tried to sit up, Hinata’s hands fluttered to his chest nervously, holding him down. “You mustn’t get up, Shikamaru-kun!” She softly admonished. “Your body is still very weak!”

Shikamaru smiled softly. “Relax, Hinata. I’m not going to run a marathon. I just really need to shower and get out of these clothes.”

When he noticed Hinata’s lavender eyes flick nervously to her cousin, his smile became a smirk.

“Hey,” He whispered. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

She laughed nervously. “Well…alright then. Shall I stay here until you get back?”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru grumbled, dragging himself upright with considerable effort. “Sasuke’s strict buddy system order is still in effect, right?”

Hinata gave a slight nod as she watched Shikamaru retrieve his towel and totter out the door. He felt shaky as he made his way to the bathroom, his head pounding and eyes watering from the sun. Finally, he made it to the bathroom, flicking on the light as he shut the door. He grimaced when he glanced at the mirror.

His hair was a mess, sticking out at angles that probably should have been impossible. He face was pale, the shadows under his sharp eyes even darker than usual.

“I look like hell.” He muttered.

He scowled at his reflection before turning to start the shower, holding his hand under the water until it started to heat up. He started peeling off yesterday’s clothes, wrinkled and musty from being slept in for so long. Once he was free of his garments, Shikamaru pulled out his hair tie, glancing at his reflection again as he placed it by the sink.

His gaunt face stared back at him. Frowning, Shikamaru raked his gaze lower, studying the bruises on his neck and chest. His cheeks flushing slightly, Shikamaru ran his fingers over the marks, remembering the sensation of Neji’s strong hands on his body. He wrapped his fingers around his throat, pressing slightly over the bruises. Shikamaru felt his pulse throbbing steadily below his skin.

When the steam started to cloud the mirror, Shikamaru drifted into the warm shower. But he couldn’t seem to shake his thoughts, his mind and body focused on the memory of Neji’s hands. Shutting his eyes as he leaned his head back into the stream of water, Shikamaru let his own hands roam across his body. His fingertips ghosted over all the places Neji had touched him: the back of his head, his neck and chest – his hips.

Shikamaru inhaled deeply as water and ghosting fingers stoked his arousal. He ran one hand through his hair while the over found his dick, already starting to get hard before he touched it. He sighed as he began to stroke his shaft slowly, his other hand latching around his throat once more.

Just remembering that heated exchange with Neji made him hard. His fist began to pump faster as he recalled the sensation of being pinned beneath the strong Hyuga, whose eyes had seemed to burn into him. Shikamaru found himself imagining Neji being just as rough with him in other situations.

He braced his hand against the shower wall.

Shikamaru imagined Neji grabbing him with those dangerous hands and shoving him against the nearest flat surface. He thought about Neji kissing him, passionate and hard enough to bruise. Shikamaru shuddered, his grip on his throbbing dick tightening. He wanted to see Neji’s perfect composure, his iciness, melting away in the heat of the moment.

Shikamaru’s breathing became heavier as his fantasy blossomed. He wanted to feel Neji’s hot mouth on his skin as they tore of each other’s clothes. His limbs would be trembling with anticipation as Neji claimed his body, marked Shikamaru as his own. Shikamaru imagined Neji’s moan, his muscular body tight and gleaming with sweat.

His limbs began to shake as he pumped his hand faster, pressure growing as he neared orgasm. Shikamaru’s mouth fell open around a silent moan as he imagined how big Neji’s dick must be. But it was the thought of that uptight Hyuga holding him down and fucking him that finally sent Shikamaru over the edge.

He bit his lip as he came, trying not to make a sound as waves of pleasure coursed through his exhausted limbs. Hot cum slipped through his fingers as he continued frantically stroking himself, riding out the sensation even as his fantasy continued. Just imaging what it would be like to have Neji inside him made Shikamaru feel like he was going to cum again.

He leaned against the shower wall, panting slightly. Glad of the water that was whisking away the sweat and cum from his skin, Shikamaru finally opened his eyes. He stared down at his body, frowning slightly as he turned around to let the water run down his front.

This wasn’t the first time he’d cum while thinking of Neji. But it had definitely never been _that_ intense. Shikamaru’s limbs were still trembling when he got out of the shower several minutes later. But his headache had improved slightly, at least.

He avoided looking at his reflection as he secured his towel around his waist, retracing his steps to his silent bedroom. He passed Hinata in the hallway. She immediately averted her eyes from his bare torso.

“I have to get going, Shikamaru-kun.” She explained. “Neji nii-san has already taken care of everything today, so please make sure you get plenty of rest.”

“Got it.” Shikamaru drawled as he walked by her. “Thanks for coming over, Hinata.”

“Of course,” He heard her say softly before she turned and made her way for the front door. Shikamaru consciously softened his footsteps as he approached his bedroom, glancing around the doorframe warily.

Neji was still fast asleep.

He crept into the room quietly, searching for clean clothes to put on. After a final glance at Neji, Shikamaru stripped off his towel, lazily tossing it onto the chair in the corner. He pulled on a pair of boxer briefs – black, like everything else he owned – and put on his old sweatpants overtop. He raked his fingers through his hair several times to smooth it before reaching for his wrist, where his hair tie was usually secured.

“Ah shit.” He muttered. “I left it in the bathroom.”

A sleepy sigh sounded behind him. “Why must I hear your foul language the second I wake?” Neji’s low voice was thick with sleep.

He lifted his head at the same time Shikamaru turned to him, their eyes meeting for a moment. And then Neji studied Shikamaru’s body, his eyebrows pinched with concern.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed, Nara.” Neji pulled his hair over one side of his neck, allowing the sunshine to hit his face. “Where is Hinata? I specifically told her to make sure you stayed in bed.”

“She had to take off.” Shikamaru replied, “And I convinced her to let me take a shower. It would’ve been inhumane to keep you both cooped up in this room with me otherwise.”

Neji smiled slightly, but the gesture didn’t loosen the worried pinch of his eyebrows. “You certainly have a way with women.” He teased. “You must be the envy of every straight man in the village.”

Shikamaru snorted. “But that’s the trick, you see? When you’re not trying to get into their pants, women are much less scary. Well, some of them, at least.”

Neji smiled a little wider, but didn’t respond. He was still studying Shikamaru carefully, as if he expected him to faint again. Now it was Shikamaru’s turn to frown.

“Anyways, Neji, you don’t have to sleep sitting up like that.” He said. “I told you last night, the guest room down the hall is all yours.”

Neji shook his head; his long bangs swaying with the motion. “I will not leave you.”

Shikamaru felt his face getting hot. He turned away quickly as he cursed inwardly. But Neji didn’t seem to have noticed his blush: he was looking out towards the garden, and the silent forest beyond.

“I still can’t understand why someone would go through the trouble of attacking that deer,” He said. “We were both sitting right here. They could have easily come after us instead. Was it because we weren’t alone? Or did they specifically _intend_ to leave that message on the poor animal?”

Shikamaru sighed, cracking his neck before crossing the room. He sat down beside Neji, leaning against the wall in the sun.

“That seems really stupid though, doesn’t it?” He drawled. “I mean, _leaves will fall_ isn’t really ambiguous enough to imply a hidden meaning. Like, yeah, we get it. You’re trying to kill Leaf shinobi. Why not leave something more useful, like your name and address, or your personal manifesto or some shit.”

“Do you often carry around copies of your manifesto?” Neji asked jokingly.

“Oh sure, I have it with me all the time.” Shikamaru replied, smirking. He opened and closed his hands like he was holding an invisible book. “Look here, see? It says, _‘Everything is a drag, please leave me alone’._ What do you think?”

Neji shook his head, his eyes glinting with amusement. “That’s not a manifesto.”

“Exactly,” Shikamaru chuckled. “Because they’re too much of a drag.”

“Very clever.” Neji scoffed. But he couldn’t keep the genuine smile off his face.

Shikamaru smiled back, feeling triumphant. But he soon sobered, resuming their conversation. “I assume Naruto knows about the message by now?”

Neji nodded. “Yes. I briefed Naruto-sama on the situation earlier today. Which reminds me, he wanted me to pass on orders for you to stay home and rest for a couple days. I am to help with your workload until your chakra is fully recovered.”

Shikamaru sighed. “It’s really not that big of a deal, Neji. I’m already fine.”

For a long moment, Neji was silent, studying him carefully. Finally, he asked in a gentle tone, “Why did you push yourself so hard, Shikamaru? It’s unusual.”

The Nara genius fiddled with his hair awkwardly, raking it away from his face. He glanced at Neji from the corner of his eye. “Remember that thing I told you last night? About my parents?”

Neji inclined his head with a frown; already catching on to where this was headed.

“It’s stupid, but I can’t stand being home by myself lately.” Shikamaru admitted. “And even when I’m here, I can’t sleep. So I’ve just been working. It’s…easier.”

Neji sighed. “I understand, Shikamaru. Better than you can imagine. But you must not continue this way. The current state of your chakra is proof enough of that.”

Shikamaru grumbled wordlessly. Neji couldn’t help but smile again, glancing over at him.

 _“He looks good with his hair down.”_ Neji idly thought. He frowned when he examined the bruises on Shikamaru’s body, silently berating himself for hurting a comrade over something so foolish.

“At any rate,” He said stiffly, “It seems as though I will be staying here for a while. Hopefully that can help to put you at ease.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said, his voice shaking slightly. He drew his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly. “Sorry. I know it’s stupid.”

“No, it’s not.” Neji said, growing serious. “Your feelings are not _stupid_ , Nara.”

Shikamaru glanced at him. For some reason, he had a feeling Neji wasn’t just referring to their current conversation. But he didn’t seem to be treating Shikamaru any differently than usual. He had to stifle the urge to sigh in relief.

“Thanks.” Shikamaru finally said. When Neji didn’t respond, Shikamaru continued. “So, do we have any evidence yet? Any proof as to who’s attacking us?”

“Unfortunately not.” Neji replied. “There are certainly clues, but not enough for us to reach a definitive conclusion. Several things obviously point to the Mist Village, but we can't do anything until we know for certain they're involved.”

Shikamaru huffed exhaustedly, his headache now returning with a vengeance. His brief shower-time bliss already seemed like it happened hours ago. “I need to send a message to Naruto, asking him to get all the information we have to me as soon as possible. It’s a drag, but even I can’t ignore our comrades getting attacked. Especially when it’s happening in our own village.”

Neji nodded curtly before standing. “I will send a messenger immediately. Do you need anything else?”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru rubbed at his temples. “A metric fuck-ton of coffee.”

“I’ll put in a request.” Neji replied, finding himself smiling again.

It was a curious thing. With the situation being what it was, Neji knew he should be feeling tense. But being around Shikamaru made him smile before he even realized he was doing it. As he made his was out onto the porch, he heard Shikamaru muttering to himself, “And ask that damn Naruto to give us a raise too. I don’t get paid enough for this crap.”

Neji’s smile widened.

* * *

 

Naruto paced back and forth slowly, his hands on the back of his head. His vibrant blue eyes gleamed in the light from the windows, which were thrown open to allow the warm breeze into the room.

He had just sent a messenger hawk to Gaara, explaining what had happened and asking for Gaara’s guidance. Naruto didn’t truly believe the Hidden Mist Village had anything to do with the attacks on his shinobi, but for now he had decided to put off contacting them – just in case.

Naruto grit his teeth.

Impatience gripped him like a steel vice. He desperately wanted to go racing after the hawk, eclipsing it with his speed so that news could reach the Kazekage faster. The entire situation was putting Naruto’s nerves on edge. His people were getting attacked. His alliances could be crumpling. And they still had no idea who was truly behind it all.

It made him want to scream.

His furious pacing was interrupted by a gentle knock on the office door. Glancing over, Naruto attempted to roll the tension out of his muscular shoulders. His hands dropped to his side.

“Come in.”

He forced himself to smile as Hinata drifted into the room. She bowed her head politely before returning his gaze to greet him. “Naruto-sama.”

“Hey, Hinata.” Naruto replied, trying to mask the edge in his voice. “What’s up?”

“Ah,” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I just came to report that Shikamaru-kun has woken up, and his condition seems to have improved since last night. Neji nii-san is still with him, monitoring him and ensuring he doesn’t try to push himself too hard.”

“Good,” Naruto sighed. “The last thing I need through all this is for Shikamaru to end up in the hospital from exhaustion. What about the investigation of that deer? Did Neji find anything?”

“He says there were many things about it that didn’t make sense to him.” Hinata frowned, “Neji nii-san believes that the person who did this may not have been a ninja at all.”

Naruto’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“Yes,” Hinata nodded gravely. “He says he was checking the area with his Byakugan fairly regularly, so he would have noticed if anyone with significant chakra was nearby. Plus, when he examined the wounds more carefully, he noticed that they were extremely rough and jagged. As if the person had struggled to make them. Deer hide is quite thick, I suppose, and if you were a regular person it might be difficult to carve words into it.”

“Dammit.” Naruto cursed, his voice a low growl. “Now there are regular civilians involved?”

“There _is_ a chance that this incident isn’t related to the others.”

Naruto was pacing again. “Yeah, maybe like a one-in-a-million chance, you know?”

Hinata’s frowned. “Neji nii-san has asked Kiba to examine the scene. He should be able to confirm Neji nii-san’s theory.”

“That’s good,” Naruto scrubbed his hands through his golden hair. “It’s going to be all hands on deck until we get to the bottom of this. Oh, and I should probably tell everyone that I totally agree with Sasuke’s buddy system rule. Seriously, Hinata, tell everybody you see that they shouldn’t be alone until this is all over. Hokage’s orders and all that.”

“Yes,” Hinata smiled slightly. After a moment she asked, “Where is Sasuke-kun?”

Naruto hummed distractedly. “Sasuke? He’s doing some Anbu thing. I didn’t ask, to be honest.”

“Oh!” Hinata exclaimed. “That reminds me! Ms. Moon-Lee will be guarded by Anbu from Neji nii-san’s unit for the next few days.”

“I totally forgot about her.” Naruto sighed. “Shit. Well, I’m glad Neji remembered. I can’t have any of you on babysitting duty while some mysterious group is coming after us. _Leaves will fall._ Makes me wanna -”

He cut himself off as rage rippled through him, making his skin prickle. The last thing he needed was another chakra explosion, so Naruto inhaled deeply to steady himself.

Hinata was studying him carefully, and when Naruto glanced at her, he couldn’t help but smile. She immediately looked away, fidgeting as her cheeks went red.

Naruto took a step forward, stooping slightly to get a better look at her face. His grin widened. “You have that look.”

“W-what look?” Hinata demanded, still pointedly looking away as her blush deepened.

“Like you want to tell me something but you’re too embarrassed.” Naruto replied, sparkling eyes narrowing deviously. “Tell me!”

“I-it’s nothing important!” She sputtered. “Especially not compared to what’s been happening.”

“All the more reason,” Naruto said solemnly. “I’d appreciate a bit of a distraction.”

“Well…” Hinata’s voice trailed off as she glanced at him shyly. “Okay, I’ll tell you. I mean, I w-want to tell you. Um…K-Kiba…Kiba-kun asked me to go on a date with him.”

Naruto straightened up, his entire face lighting up as he grinned. “No way! That’s so exciting! It’s exciting, right? Did you say yes?”

Hinata fidgeted some more. “I told him I’d think about it.”

Naruto tilted his head, nodding to encourage her to continue.

“I like Kiba, I do!” She said, her eyes widening. “But I just don’t know how I feel about dating him. We were on a team for so long. We grew up together. Wouldn’t it be…complicated?”

Naruto snorted, still grinning from ear to ear. “Um, Hinata. Sasuke is my best friend turned childhood rival turned villain turned boyfriend. Complicated is part of relationships. It’s impossible to avoid.”

“But you and Sasuke-kun are different,” Hinata frowned. “You two have had feelings for one another for ages, haven’t you?”

Naruto glanced away, seeming to consider his response carefully. “Okay, so, don’t tell him I was the one who told you this. Kiba’s had a thing for you for ages, Hinata.”

Hinata blinked several times in shock. “He…he has? How do you know?”

“Literally everyone knows.” Naruto snorted. “Well, everyone but you, apparently.”

Hinata covered her mouth with her hands. “I can’t believe I never noticed.” She squeaked between her fingers.

Naruto laughed. “He’s like, the worst at flirting, so I’m not surprised.”

Hinata glanced towards her feet, blushing intensely.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong though.” Naruto continued. “I’m not saying you should go out with him just because of that. But at least you know how he feels. You should be able to make a decision with all the facts, you know?”

She nodded quickly. “Yes, I’m glad that I know. I’m…going to think about it some more. As I said, I do like Kiba. And he is – um – he is handsome, isn’t he?”

“For sure!” Naruto flashed thumbs up. “Definitely hot!”

“N-Naruto!” Hinata exclaimed.

His booming laugh only made her even more embarrassed. “Thanks, Hinata.” He finally said. “I’m glad you wanted to tell me about that.”

She smiled. “I’m the one who should be thanking you for listening, and giving me advice. I’ll -” She glanced away shyly. “I’ll let you know what I decide to do?”

“Okay!” Naruto agreed. “But remember, Kiba’s a good guy. He won’t be mad or anything if you turn him down, so take your time and think about it.”

“I will!” Hinata smiled. “Thank you, Naruto-sama.”

Naruto continued grinning as he watched Hinata leave, shutting the door softly behind herself.

Things like this always made Naruto happy. Having been saddled with so much responsibility at such a young age, the Konoha Eleven – Naruto included – often forgot that they were still people. Young people in their early twenties, at that. They were supposed to date and drink and enjoy their lives, not worry about threats lurking around every dark corner.

Naruto steeled himself.

His companions were powerful, accomplished shinobi. He would trust each and every one of them with his life. And that is why he wanted to protect them. He desired it with mind-numbing desperation.

The Hokage returned his gaze to the windows, staring towards the horizon as he willed his messenger hawk to fly quickly.

“But there’s no use obsessing over it, you know.” He told himself.

He sighed deeply, resigning himself to his paperwork while he waited for Sasuke to come and collect him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we all take a moment to appreciate the fact that Neji disregarded his own feelings, and then got upset with Shikamaru for doing the exact same thing two seconds later? These two, I swear -__-'


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru felt his face going red, a warm jolt of arousal coursing through his body.
> 
> _“Shit!”_ He thought wildly. _“Shit shit shit shit shit…”_

Chapter 11

* * *

 

The sun was beginning to set over Konoha, the bright orange light shining through the hospital windows in the room where Ino sat.

Eros still hadn’t woken up.

The anesthetic Sakura gave him had long since worn off, but still the boy slept. It had been almost twelve hours already. During this time, Ino hadn’t left his room. She sat in the chair beside his bed, tired eyes rimmed with red and pale cheeks damp with tears.

Both of Eros’ parents had died in the war. This had made Ino feel especially protective of her young student, and somewhere along the way, she had started to think of him like he was her own son. Although, lately it seemed like she felt that way about all three of her students.

Ino blinked quickly, trying to clear away fresh tears before they fell. Aya’s parents had already been informed of their daughter’s death, the terrible news coming from the lips of the Hokage himself. Ino felt a rush of gratitude towards Naruto, but it was greatly overshadowed by her own grief. As soon as she felt more composed, she would need to go calling on Aya’s parents herself.

Ino sighed, glancing away from the unconscious boy and towards his teammate, who had been sitting in the corner for hours without a word.

The tall redhead had never looked smaller. He had gone through another growth spurt over the past year, and stood over six feet tall. But as he sat on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest and his head hidden in his arms, he almost looked like a child again.

Ino suddenly recalled the day she had met her students for the first time. They had all been so small, so young and full of promise. Aya was the outgoing one, dragging her male teammates up to Ino excitedly. She had introduced them all to their new sensei, so it wasn’t until much later that Ino learned “Leon” was actually a nickname. Leon’s given name was actually Ryuko. He and Aya had been best friends since they were toddlers, and apparently Aya had trouble pronouncing the “Ryu” sound of his name when the two first met.

But how that ended with him being called Leon, Ino had no idea. With a twinge of regret, she realized that she’d never asked.

That thought made the tears well up in her eyes again, and this time she let them fall. She allowed herself to weep for all the things sweet Aya-chan could never be. And she wept with the knowledge that Aya was probably glad she had died to save Eros’ life.

Movement in the corner caught her eye.

“Ino-sensei,” Leon lifted his head fractionally, his blank eyes turned towards Ino without actually seeing her. “Please stop crying.”

“I’m sorry, Leon,” Ino quickly replied, wiping her face roughly. “I can’t seem to stop myself.”

The redhead glanced away from her towards the silent hospital bed. “Why isn’t he awake yet?” Leon’s voice was flat. “If he doesn’t wake up soon, I might punch him.”

Ino studied him warily. Leon was always so serious; she knew that he wasn’t joking. Not to mention that Leon had started taking taijutsu lessons from Lee, and was getting stronger by the day as a result. Ino laughed nervously. “I think you’d kill him if you punched him right now.”

“I know.” Leon replied emotionlessly.

Frowning, Ino struggled to put on her best teacher voice. “Leon, you know it wasn’t Eros’ fault.”

The boy gripped his knees tighter, his knuckles turning white. “ _Of course_ it’s his fault, sensei. Ever since we were kids, all we ever heard was Eros this, Eros that! Eros is so strong! Eros is a prodigy! Eros is going to be as powerful as the Konoha Eleven! But if he’s so goddamn amazing, _why couldn’t he protect Aya-chan?_ ”

“Leon -” Ino began, but he cut her off sharply.

“Don’t call me that.” He hissed through gritted teeth. “That’s what Aya-chan called me. And now she’s gone. You two have no right.”

“I -” Ino was crying again. She couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry, Leo – um, Ryuko. I understand how you must be feeling right now, but you can’t take it out on Eros. You’re his best friend. When he wakes up, he’s going to need you.”

The redhead rose to his feet quickly, his shaking hands balled into fists. “Best friend? Ino-sensei, I can’t even _look_ at him. This was Aya-chan’s first mission as a medic. All I asked him to do was protect her! And look at what happened!”

Ino also rose to her feet. “Ryuko, please! It wasn’t his fault! You have to forgive him!”

He strode forward until he was towering over Ino, grabbing the front of her Jounin vest roughly. She had to rise onto her toes, staring up at her student as his entire body trembled with rage. “Forgive him?” He glared down at her. “Ino-sensei, I was _in love_ with Aya-chan. I have been since I was five years old. I will _never_ forgive Eros for this.”

Ino’s knees felt weak. She opened her mouth to reply, hot tears rushing down her face.

It was at this extremely inopportune moment that Naruto opened the door. For a moment he simply stood there, the light from the sunset giving him a fiery glow. His excessively vibrant eyes swept over them, his mouth set in a grim line as he took in the scene with the air of someone who already knew exactly what was going on. Finally, he stepped into the room, sliding the door shut as he said in a tone of extremely forced calm, “If you don’t take your hands off Ino right now, I’m going to have to remove them for you. And neither of us wants that, you know.” 

He let his hands fall immediately, taking several hurried steps away from Naruto. He bowed low, his voice trembling as fear overtook his anger. “F-forgive me, Hokage-sama. I got carried away.”

“Yes, you did.” Naruto replied. He walked over to Ino, gently supporting her shoulders as he guided her back to her chair. “And you will _not_ allow it to happen again. Understand?”

The boy nodded furiously, maintaining his bow as Naruto came to stand before him. Naruto’s commanding, powerful presence seemed to be holding his head down by force. “Aya-chan’s last act in this world was to save Eros’ life. Don’t you think you’re disrespecting her memory by acting this way?”

After a long pause, Ryuko mumbled, “Yes, Hokage-sama.”

“And besides, you’re not actually mad at Eros, are you?” Naruto continued, his voice taking on that Sagely quality that annoyed Shikamaru so much. “It seems to me like you’re upset with yourself for not being there. Not being strong enough.”

“What?” Ino frowned. “Ryuko, what does he mean?”

Finally straightening, Ryuko kept his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. He tried to reply, but couldn’t seem to find his voice. Naruto studied him for a moment before turning to Ino.

“I had originally assigned him to the mission.” Naruto explained. “But he came to me and requested to be taken off it so he could continue his training with Lee.”

“Oh,” Ino’s face crumpled with pain. “ _Ryuko._ ”

He shook his head sharply, red hair dancing wildly. “It’s my fault. I was supposed to be there. But I was always to weakest one. I just wanted to catch up with the others, to become strong enough to protect them. I’d give up my life for any of you, Ino-sensei. But I took too long. It’s too late.”

“No.” Ino said firmly. She rose from her chair, walking over to grasp Ryuko by the arm. She dragged him over to the hospital bed so that he was forced to look at his teammate. “It’s not too late. It’s _never_ too late. Aya-chan is gone. That’s something we’re all going to have to deal with. But if it weren’t for her, Eros would be gone too. So protect him, Ryuko. Protect each other.”

After a moment of silence, she added gently, “For Aya-chan.”

For a long time, they all stood quietly looking at Eros. And then, Ryuko nodded slowly, whispering, “Yes, Ino-sensei.”

He left the room without another word, hiding his face behind the fall of his wavy hair. As soon as the door shut behind him, Ino collapsed onto the bed with a sigh, shakily holding Eros’ hand as she sat beside him. She glanced at Naruto exhaustedly.

“Sorry you had to see that, Naruto.” She whispered.

“It’s fine, you know.” He quickly replied, concerned for his friend. She looked like she’d aged ten years overnight. “Are you okay, Ino?”

She shook her head with a bitter smile. “Not at all. But…I’ve calmed down a bit now. Please tell Kakashi-sensei that I’m sorry. I know it…wasn’t his fault. I lashed out at him unfairly.”

“I don’t think he’s mad at you for that.” Naruto said. “He probably blames himself more than anyone else.”

“After what just happened with Leo – Ryuko – I can’t let Kakashi think that I still blame him. It’s too great a burden for him to bear.”

“I’ll tell him, then,” Naruto reassured her.

“Thanks, Naruto.” Ino sighed. She glanced over at him, adding, “I know you probably came to see if Eros was awake so you could question him. I’m sorry, but can I ask you for a favour? Even after he does wake up, please don’t ask him any questions until I say it’s okay.”

Naruto frowned slightly. “I understand where you’re coming from, Ino, but it’s important that I find out everything he remembers.”

“I know it’s important,” Ino retorted, “But so is his health. He’s just a kid, Naruto.”

After a moment of thought, Naruto gave in. “Fine. I’ll wait until you say it’s okay.”

Ino sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

Naruto hummed distractedly in response, forgetting to say goodbye to Ino as he wandered towards the door again. “In the meantime, I should send Captain Yamato to talk with Shikamaru and Neji.” He muttered to himself. “Hopefully Gaara gets my message soon. I need to ask him about…”

Ino sighed again, shaking her head slightly as the door slid shut once more. Without anyone there to distract her, Ino returned her gaze to Eros’ unconscious face.

With an air of quiet patience, Ino resigned herself to wait for him to wake.

 

* * *

 

“You were right, as usual, Neji.” Kiba growled.

“I see,” Neji said, folding his arms as he stared at the sunlight reflecting off the fishpond in Shikamaru’s garden.

Kiba stood beside him with Akamaru; both of them sniffing the air as darkness slowly crept in around them. Knowing that he had to return home before it got too late, Kiba continued, “Yup. Someone without chakra hunted down that deer. They must be pretty good with a kunai, too. First shot took that giant thing down, and then they pinned it so they could write the message. Pretty fucked up.”

“Indeed,” Neji agreed, glancing towards the house quickly. Shikamaru was still sitting on the porch with his stacks of files and reports, apparently too immersed in his reading to hear their conversation. “Were you able to track them at all, or pick up on anything noteworthy?”

“Nah.” Kiba shrugged, his leather jacket crinkling with the motion. “Whoever it was covered their tracks really well. Like, professional level. I think they might be a hunter or something, hired by the ninja who’re attacking us, maybe.”

Akamaru growled slightly, and Kiba nodded.

“Yeah, like Akamaru said,” Kiba translated with a frown. “There’re not many hunters who’d be willing to do something like that to their prey. Killing animals is one thing, but torturing them? Fucking inhumane as shit.”

“Thank you, Kiba, Akamaru.” Neji said with a sigh, glancing at each of them in turn. “You’ve been tremendously helpful.”

“We aim to please,” Kiba replied, displaying his pointed teeth as he grinned. He looked over at Shikamaru for a moment before winking at Neji. “I’ll, uh, leave it up to you to pass on the good news.”

Neji frowned, watching as the dog-nin turned on his heels and strode away. As soon as he was out of sight, Neji’s pale eyes turned to Shikamaru, who still hadn’t glanced up from the report he was scanning. His body heavy with tiredness, Neji walked over to join him on the porch, sitting down slowly.

“Did you catch any of that?” He asked in a soft voice.

Shikamaru shook his head fractionally, his sharp eyes flashing back and forth quickly as he read, “Nope. But I assume you were right?”

“Unfortunately,” Neji replied, still studying Shikamaru. Some of the hairs had fallen out of his ponytail and were curling against his nape. It was quite charming. “And Kiba also suspects that the suspect was a professional hunter hired for the job.”

“Makes sense, I guess.” Shikamaru muttered, finally looking away from the report to scribble something in his personal notes. “We could ask someone to look into all the professional hunters in the area?”

“I suppose,” Neji rubbed at his tired eyes. “But something tells me we won’t be able to find our suspect by going through the personal ads.”

Shikamaru shrugged slightly. “Probably not. But we’ve gotta start somewhere. Maybe some of the local hunters have heard of somebody who’d do something like this.”

Neji nodded thoughtfully. “Point taken. I am meant to meet with Naruto tomorrow, so I’ll put in a request while I’m there.”

Shikamaru replied distractedly. “Yeah, that’ll be good. Thanks Neji.”

“Not a problem.” Neji said.

Silence fell between them. Neji watched the sun setting over the forest as Shikamaru continued reading. He didn’t glance up until the sun fell behind the trees, effectively eliminating his light source.

“Ugh,” Shikamaru muttered. “Do you want to go sit in the kitchen? It’s getting too dark to read out here. And we should probably eat something.”

Neji nodded. “Now that you mention it, I am rather hungry.”

“Great,” Shikamaru started collecting up his files. “I can’t really cook, but Choji’s mom sends him over with food all the time, so we have plenty to eat. You’re buzzing, by the way.”

Neji stared at him in confusion before he realized that Shikamaru was talking about his radio. He quickly stood up, digging around in his weapon pouch until he found the small device. He placed it in his ear, turning the dial as he replied, “Yes?”

“It’s me.” Naruto’s voice crackled through. Shikamaru glanced up. “How are you guys? I just left the hospital. Eros still isn’t awake yet.”

Shikamaru and Neji exchanged a frown. “That is troubling news.” Neji replied smoothly. “We are both fine here. Further investigation has proven my theory regarding the deer’s killer. And Shikamaru is continuing to rest while studying the files you sent.”

“Good,” Naruto sounded extremely tired. “I sent a message to Gaara, but it’ll be a few days before we get his reply. I’d like to have some more answers by then, so just keep doing what you’re doing, guys.”

“Hey, Naruto,” Shikamaru called. He tucked the files under one arm, reaching over with the other to pull the radio out of Neji’s ear. He stood close enough so that they could both easily hear Naruto’s voice. “What do you want us to do about the exams?”

“Shiiiit.” Naruto groaned. “Fuck. I forgot. Goddamn it.”

“Is there any way to postpone them?” Neji offered.

“It’s not like we can have the exams here while the village is being threatened, anyways.” Shikamaru added.

Naruto was silent for a moment. “Okay. You guys can stop planning the exams for now. But if anyone asks, that’s what you guys are working on, you know? I don’t want to cancel or postpone them until we know what’s going on. I can’t raise suspicions with the other villages right now.”

“So we are to continue investigating these attacks, but if anyone asks, our only task at the moment is planning the Chunin exams?” Neji confirmed.

“Yeah,” Naruto sighed. “I’m sorry, guys. I know I’m relying on you too much.”

“Not at all,” Neji admonished. “We are happy to help, Naruto-sama.”

“Although a raise would be nice,” Shikamaru grumbled. “Or a vacation.”

Naruto’s laugh crackled over the radio waves. “Once this bullshit is over, you guys can have both. Oh, before I forget, I told Yamato to go see you to talk about the ambush. He should be there in the morning.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Okay.”

“Anyways, I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.” Naruto said. “Neji, keep an eye on Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru scoffed while Neji nodded seriously. “I will, Naruto-sama. Have a good evening.”

Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru stepped around Neji on his way to the kitchen. Neji followed a few steps behind him, reaching over to take the radio that Shikamaru held out behind his back. He returned it to his weapon pouch carefully.

“I already told you, I’m fine.” Shikamaru said flatly as he led the way down the hall, flicking on lights with his elbow as he went. “Seriously. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Arguable.” Neji retorted.

Shikamaru grumbled as he dropped the files heavily on the kitchen table. He turned to look at Neji, arms folded over his chest. Neji returned his gaze determinedly, his face slightly upturned so he was looking down at the exhausted Nara. Their standoff ended in an awkward impasse that dissolved into an uncomfortable silence. They ate together without a word, sitting at opposite ends of the table as they focused on their food.

They remained in their seats for several hours, taking care of their work. When Shikamaru finally set aside his last report, he looked up at Neji with tired eyes. He watched Neji writing smoothly for a few minutes before asking in a low voice, “Almost done?”

He nodded. “This is my last report for the day.”

“Okay,” Shikamaru sighed as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his stiff muscles. “I think I’m going to bed.”

Neji nodded again absently. “Very well. I will be there momentarily.”

“Sure,” Shikamaru said automatically, before he blinked several times in shock. “Wait, what? Neji, you’re not seriously going to camp out in my room again, are you? There’s a perfectly good guest room right down the hall!”

“Which I will be more than happy to use once your chakra has returned to normal.” Neji replied calmly, writing the last line of his report. He placed down his pen and closed the file, glancing up at Shikamaru sternly.

Shikamaru stood, rounding the table with a glare. “Neji, how many times do I have to tell you that I’m fine?”

Neji studied him thoughtfully for a moment, finally asking, “So are you telling me that, if you were attacked right now, you’d be able to defend yourself?”

“ _Yes!_ ” Shikamaru exclaimed, turning away from Neji to march out of the kitchen. He stomped down the hall in frustration, violently yanking open his bedroom door. After crossing the room the turn on the lamp near his futon, he shrugged off his Jounin vest and tossed it onto his bed. He had just pulled out his hair tie when he felt a tingle on the back of his neck.

Before Shikamaru could blink, he found himself slammed against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Neji’s forearm was braced across his throat as he pinned Shikamaru, their faces inches apart as they glared at each other.

“Neji, what the fuck?” Shikamaru choked out. He reached up, trying to yank Neji’s arm away from his exposed neck, but it wouldn’t budge. Shikamaru’s eyes widened. He pulled again, harder this time, but it was no use. Neji was so much stronger than him.

“Now do you believe me?” Neji asked, glancing down pointedly as Shikamaru tried again – and failed – to remove Neji’s arm. “You didn’t even react, Nara. If I was your enemy, you would be dead right now.”

“And if I was at full strength, _you’d_ be dead right now.” Shikamaru practically hissed. “This is so uncool, Neji.”

He shoved forward with his hips, trying to throw off Neji’s balance. But Neji reacted easily; bracing his knee between Shikamaru’s to hold him in place. It was effective, but it resulted in their bodies being more intricately tangled. Shikamaru felt his face going red, a warm jolt of arousal coursing through his body.

_“Shit!”_ He thought wildly. _“Shit shit shit shit shit…”_

Neji noticed his blush, his eyebrows rising fractionally in response. Suddenly, Neji was very consciously aware of the fact that Shikamaru was attracted to him. He felt his own cheeks glowing as Shikamaru’s pulse began to race under the press of his arm, his dark eyes gleaming dangerously in the lamplight.

Unconsciously, Neji’s eyes lowered to Shikamaru’s lips.

Shikamaru bristled under his scrutiny. “What?” He demanded, eyes narrowing defensively. “Finished with your lecture already?”

“Shut up.” Neji muttered.

“What?” Shikamaru repeated, in confusion this time. He leaned forward slightly. “I couldn’t hear -”

“I said,” Neji pulled his arm away from Shikamaru’s throat, his fingers latching tightly around his jaw instead. “Shut up.”

Before Shikamaru could react, Neji was tilting his face upwards.

And then, Neji kissed him.

Hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Manic laughter intensifies*


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey babies, this chapter is super heavy on the sexual content, so I'd advise skipping it if you're not into that sort of thing!

Chapter 12

* * *

 

 

Shikamaru felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

Neji was kissing him.

_Neji._

Pain-in-the-ass-Neji. The prodigy. The jerk. The jerk that Shikamaru had often fantasized about.

Something had been lurking between them for years - something that neither of them consciously recognized. It had been growing more potent by the day and now, all of a sudden, it was unfurling before them like the most dazzling sunrise. The intensity of it seemed to slow the entire world to a breathless halt.

Involuntarily, Shikamaru moaned. Disbelief clouded his brain.

_“Why is Neji kissing me?”_ Shikamaru wondered. _“And more importantly, why am I kissing him back?”_

Neji pulled at Shikamaru’s lips, which parted automatically to accept Neji’s tongue as it laced into his mouth. Shikamaru hummed into their kiss, his hands raising to tightly grip the back of Neji’s robes.

_“This is a bad idea.”_

Shikamaru’s brain screamed warnings, but his body didn’t seem to be listening. No matter how illogical this sudden embrace was, Shikamaru wanted it desperately. _Needed_ it.

Neji tilted Shikamaru’s head back to deepen the kiss, his hips pressing hard into Shikamaru, whose hands were wandering greedily. His fingers ghosted through Neji’s long hair, the strands flowing like silk. He found the soft hairs at Neji’s nape and tugged experimentally. Neji bit Shikamaru’s lip in response, and the genius moaned again. The sound of it made Neji’s hips grind forward.

Their lips tore apart as they both gasped, pleasure and nerves making their breathing ragged as their gazes locked together. For a moment, they searched one another’s faces, earnestly seeking the answers to all the unspoken questions between them. Shikamaru found himself expecting to find flickers of regret or indecision in Neji’s eyes. But he found only the fire he had first glimpsed in the forest clearing, so vivid and passionate that it made Shikamaru’s heart race.

Neji automatically took a retreating step when Shikamaru pushed himself away from the wall. Shikamaru grabbed the front of Neji’s robe before he could move any further away, walking forward slowly as he guided Neji towards his bed.  

Neji went willingly, his opalescent eyes never leaving Shikamaru’s face. Shikamaru pushed him down onto the bed, placing his hands on Neji’s knees as their lips met again, more frantically than before. Before he knew what was happening, Shikamaru was straddling Neji’s hips. Neji’s hands were on him again, pulling off his black undershirt. He broke away from Shikamaru’s lips in favor of kissing his bare chest, his hot mouth gliding over the smooth skin.

When he reached Shikamaru’s leanly sculpted abdomen, Neji momentarily paused. As he examined the genius Nara’s body, Neji suddenly found himself gripped by nerves.

Neji had only ever been with women before. All of his encounters had certainly been pleasurable, yet left him feeling strangely unfulfilled. This had always confused Neji. He had no reason for discontent. There was something indescribably glorious about a naked woman; the softness of her curves, her gasping voice, the wetness of her. Sex with women was definitely on the list of things Neji was certain he excelled at.

But Shikamaru felt different. _Was_ different. In all the places women were soft, he was hard. And the feeling of it made Neji hard. _Very_ hard. As he ran his hands over Shikamaru’s body, it hardly seemed to matter that he was a man. All that mattered was the fact that it was Shikamaru.

Neji glanced up. Shikamaru was watching him with lidded eyes, breathing heavily, his own erection pressing hard against Neji’s. The summer moonlight streaming in through the open door was slightly golden, and it kissed Shikamaru’s features. Neji swallowed nervously.

Shikamaru was _so_ handsome.

Not in the way that most people usually looked for. He wasn’t broad and strong like Naruto, or cold and beautiful like Sasuke. His features weren’t proud and defined like Neji’s, or roguishly wild like Kiba’s. Like so many things about him, Shikamaru kept his attractiveness like a secret. It was quiet, and unassuming, and it struck like an atomic bomb when he finally allowed you to see it.

He pulled Neji’s chin up gently. “This is a bad idea.” Shikamaru whispered.

Neji frowned. For a moment, he struggled to clear his mind. He was heady with arousal and thoughts of Shikamaru. But finally, he managed to whisper. “You saw me.”

When Shikamaru hummed questioningly, Neji ran his hands down Shikamaru’s sides, resting them on his slender hips.

“You always saw me for who I was.” Neji continued, staring at Shikamaru’s chest. “What I was. And lately I’ve found myself thinking about you. Too often, perhaps. And then the other night, when you confessed your attraction to me, I felt strangely…hopeful.”

He glanced up when he heard Shikamaru mutter something that sounded suspiciously similar to “ _what a drag”_ under his breath. Shikamaru raised one sharp eyebrow, smirking.

“When you say shit like that,” He said, still smirking. “I _really_ want to make you cum.”

Those words sent arousal coursing through Neji’s body like a shockwave. Before he could react, Shikamaru was kissing him again. But this time he was taking control, pushing his tongue past Neji’s lips and lacing his thin fingers into Neji’s long hair.

Neji ran his hands up the curve of Shikamaru’s back, enjoying the sensation of taught muscles beneath his sensitive fingertips. Shikamaru shuddered slightly beneath his touch.

Fingers ran down Neji’s chest, finding the seam of his robe and parting it fluidly. Shikamaru pulled away as the fabric fell, biting his lip as he stared down at Neji’s muscular chest. “Damn,” he muttered, before descending onto Neji’s pale skin hungrily. Neji’s breath hitched and he clenched his teeth, fists balling in the sheets as Shikamaru kissed his way towards Neji’s crotch.

He paused above the waistband of Neji’s pants, nipping at the sensitive skin around Neji’s hipbone as he nimbly undid the clasp on his clothing. He pulled the taught fabric away, his eyes hungry as Neji’s erection sprang forth. Shikamaru’s hand went to it immediately, palm gliding up its length lightly as his eyes met Neji’s.

Neji’s head dropped back slightly as Shikamaru’s talented fingers wrapped around his shaft, his thumb sliding through the precum at the tip. He teasingly rubbed his moistened thumb over the head of Neji’s erection, before his hand began to glide up and down slowly. His face flushed with pleasure as Neji softly moaned, getting even harder in Shikamaru’s capable hands.

“Is this okay?” Shikamaru asked, his voice taking on a husky quality in the silence.

Neji could only nod, propping himself on his elbows so he could watch Shikamaru touching him. Ever the strategist, Shikamaru’s intelligent eyes mapped Neji’s body language, monitoring every hitch in his breath and his rapidly increasing heartbeat. Neji’s entire body jolted when Shikamaru smirked, his dark eyes smoldering as they swept over Neji’s face. And then, without warning, he descended on Neji’s dick, his lips meeting his fingers at the base of the shaft.

Neji hissed with pleasure, his hips thrusting upwards instinctively. Shikamaru hummed as his free hand found Neji’s hip, pressing down on it slightly to restrict his movement. The Hyuga grit his teeth, fighting to stay still as Shikamaru’s hot mouth glided up and down his shaft. His tight fist followed his lips in tandem, making it so there was never a part of Neji’s erection that went untended.

Shikamaru lingered at the sensitive tip of Neji’s penis, his tongue alternating between teasing the underside and flicking over the precum leaking from him.

“Gods,” Neji moaned, reaching down to gently grasp Shikamaru’s hair. He guided the dark strands away from Shikamaru’s eyes, only to jolt when those dark orbs flicked up to his. “You’re – _gods_ – amazing at this.”

Shikamaru raised his sharp eyebrows, too preoccupied with his task to respond. Neji felt impossibly hard beneath Shikamaru’s touch. His own erection twitched slightly, somewhat painful as it sat untouched in the confines of his pants. Shikamaru removed his hand from Neji’s hip in favour of rubbing himself roughly through his clothing.

Neji noticed this through his heavily lidded eyes, those pale irises hardening as they refocused on Shikamaru. His gentle hand slid to the back of Shikamaru’s head, stopping his skillful bobbing. When Shikamaru looked up at him questioningly, Neji managed a slight smile.

“Shikamaru,” Neji said in a low voice, “Come here.”

Shikamaru returned his smile, albeit much more deviously. His hand glided up and down Neji’s shaft a few more times before he slowly stood. Shikamaru’s eyes never left Neji’s as he shirked what little remained of his clothing. Neji’s eyes took in every inch of him, his expression wolfish as he hungrily absorbed the sight of Shikamaru’s body.

His olive skin gleamed from the moonlight and the lamp on the bedside table. They illuminated the many scars and bruises on Shikamaru’s body, covering his body like a strange constellation. Shikamaru was thin, his waist almost painfully slender, but muscle still rippled like cords across his chest.

Still smiling, Shikamaru glided towards Neji, their torsos flush as their lips finally met again. Shikamaru settled over Neji’s hips, his strong thighs tensing as he slowly began to grind. They moaned simultaneously against each other’s lips. Neji’s hands went to Shikamaru’s waist, gripping tightly as he followed the pace of Shikamaru’s grind.

Shikamaru broke away from their kiss, gasping slightly as Neji’s hands wandered lower. His fingers glided over Shikamaru’s buttocks, which he squeezed tightly, before letting his hands move back up to Shikamaru’s waist.

Still gasping slightly, Shikamaru kissed his way to Neji’s ear, nipping at the tender lobe before whispering, “You’re so hard.”

“Yeah,” Neji whispered back, his hand gliding up to pull the hair away from Shikamaru’s neck so that he could kiss it. “So are you.”

Shikamaru moaned as Neji found a sensitive spot on his neck. He transferred all his weight to one elbow, reaching down between their bodies to grip them both together. Neji inhaled sharply. His hips bucked up into Shikamaru’s grip, which tightened in response. They began grinding in sync, creating a maddening friction that had them both sweating and gasping like they’d just run a marathon.

Neji swallowed hard before managing to choke out, “Do you need me – should I – do anything?”

Shikamaru smiled reassuringly before kissing Neji, his soft, full lips accepting Shikamaru’s willingly. “You’ve never been with a guy before, right?” He whispered. “Just relax, Neji. I’ve got this one.”

Neji nodded quickly before pulling Shikamaru’s lips back to his, kissing him passionately. With a heady rush of emotion, Neji realized he had never been so desperately aroused before. But Shikamaru was so goddamn sexy, so confident and alluring, Neji felt his mind going blank as he was swept up in the tide.

Shikamaru was moaning. The sound of it seemed to flip a switch in Neji’s brain. With an aggressive groan, Neji suddenly flipped them. He pinned Shikamaru beneath him, his skin thrumming as Shikamaru’s back arched up. Their kisses became wilder, almost frenzied, as Neji began thrusting hard against Shikamaru. Their skin was slick with sweat, making their erections glide against one another with torturous ease.

His calves wrapping around the back of Neji’s thighs, Shikamaru thrust up against Neji’s solid body. He felt something crashing through him, the pool of heat bubbling in the pit of his stomach starting to course through his veins.

“Neji, I’m gonna -” He managed to gasp.

And then he was cumming, his eyes closing tightly as his body arched. He gripped Neji as a moan tore through his throat, only to have the sound abruptly cut off when Neji began grinding against him faster.

The mere sight of Shikamaru orgasming beneath him - his hair splayed across the white sheets, his cheeks flushed – was enough to pull Neji along with him. His forehead fell into the crook of Shikamaru’s neck, his entire body shuddering as they both continued thrusting desperately, riding out their orgasms as long as they were able.

Finally, they both grew still. For a long time they lay entangled, clinging to each other tightly, their breathing hot and ragged as their heartbeats finally began to slow. Eventually, Neji managed to rise onto his elbows, staring down at Shikamaru in silent disbelief. When Shikamaru cocked a curious eyebrow, Neji shook his head before kissing him.

Shikamaru sighed contently, one hand finding the back of Neji’s head while the other glided slowly along his muscular back.

Neji placed several more small kisses on Shikamaru’s lips before rolling off, lying on his back beside Shikamaru. They both stared at the ceiling blankly, minds and bodies still reeling from what had just occurred between them. Eventually, Shikamaru reached for his discarded shirt, using it to mop up the rapidly cooling cum on their stomachs before tossing it across the room towards the laundry basket.

Flopping back down heavily, Shikamaru glanced at Neji. “That was…” He began.

“Amazing.” Neji concluded.

He returned Shikamaru’s gaze, and the genius found himself swallowing slightly with nerves. Neji had never looked more handsome than he did in that moment. The sweat on his skin was catching the golden light, making his gloriously muscular body gleam in all the right places. His ridiculously long hair was splayed and tangled around both of them, his eerily pale eyes heavy with pleasure and exhaustion.

He was perfect.

Neji observed the flush in Shikamaru’s cheeks, feeling his own face redden in response. But he smiled slightly, feeling completely as ease in this small bubble of warmth that surrounded them.

“You must be exhausted, Shikamaru.” Neji said softly.

As if this comment reminded Shikamaru’s body of how tired it was, Shikamaru suddenly yawned, his eyes watering slightly. “Yeah,” He muttered.

Without another word, Neji sat up. He quickly tossed their clothing off the bed before leaning down to wrap his arms around Shikamaru. The strategist hummed gently, allowing Neji to pull him further onto the bed. Now that they were lying in the proper position, Neji lay back down beside him, pulling Shikamaru against his solid chest.

“This does not change anything, Nara.” Neji murmured into Shikamaru’s dark hair. “You are still too weak to be left unsupervised. I will keep an eye on you until you’ve fully recovered.”

“Hm,” Shikamaru snorted, his tired eyes already closed. “Is that a promise?”

Neji smiled. “Yes, it’s a promise.”

“Okay.”

“Goodnight, Shikamaru.” Neji said as he reached over to turn off the lamp.  

“G’night.” Came the sleepy response.

Within seconds, Shikamaru was practically comatose. Neji, on the other hand, lay awake for a long time. He stared out the open door towards the dark garden, studying the light of the summer moon. He knew that he should be feeling confusion, or regret, or uneasiness at the very least.

But as Neji lay there, with Shikamaru sleeping soundly in his arms, he felt at peace.

He had never understood Naruto and Sasuke’s infallible devotion to one another. Theirs was a bond unlike anything Neji had ever seen or experienced. At times, he had even felt jealous, wondering if he would ever experience anything similar himself. But now…

It was as if a missing piece of the puzzle had been snapped smartly into place.

He glanced down at Shikamaru’s sleeping face curiously. “I wonder why,” He whispered, playing with Shikamaru’s hair. “Out of everyone, I wonder why it’s you.”

The answer didn’t come to Neji. He soon felt himself slipping into the warmth of sleep, where he had many strange dreams. But upon waking, all he could recall was one that involved a silent, graceful deer; its proud antlers tangled up with one long, red string.   

       

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! This sure is a steamy pile, isn't it?
> 
> I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. We've been swamped at work with all the autumn weddings, so it's been difficult to find the time/energy to write. Thank you all for your patience and lovely comments. I'm so pleased that people are enjoying the story so far!
> 
> Hugs and kisses,
> 
> Nate


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know sweeties, a lot of things are happening.

Chapter 13

 

Shikamaru was woken by a soft, shrill noise like the surprised chirping of a bird. But it was the loud thud that immediately followed it that had he and Neji shooting up at the exact same moment, blinking sleep from their eyes as they looked around for the source of the noise.

Hinata was standing in the open doorway, the bag full of clothes she’d brought for her cousin dropped at her feet. Her face was bright red as she stared at them, the sunrise bright behind her small frame.

“Oh shit.” Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

Neji’s jaw tightened. He started to sit up straighter, and Hinata immediately turned away, her hair hiding her face. “Hinata…” Neji began to say.

“I’ve brought you some clothes and other necessities, Neji nii-san.” Hinata cut him off, her voice fast and high. “Also, I explained the situation to father, so you aren’t expected at home until Naruto-sama says it’s safe.”

“Thank you.” Neji replied.

Hinata nodded once and immediately began walking away, her footsteps fast on the wooden porch. They both sat in silence until the sound had faded. Shikamaru glanced over at Neji, his entire body stiff and tense. He reached over cautiously, touching Neji’s shoulder.

“You okay?” He asked.

Neji immediately shrugged off his touch. “Of _course_ not!” He hissed.

He reached for his white robe, pulling it on and securing it quickly. He pulled his hair out from within the garment, and Shikamaru watched it catching the light as it poured down Neji’s back. “I must catch up to her, to try and explain.” He said.

As Neji began walking towards the door, Shikamaru said softly, “It’s Hinata, man. She loves you – she’ll understand.”

“I -” Neji cut himself off, turning to look over Shikamaru’s lounging form. “I sincerely hope you’re right. I’ll be back in a moment, Nara.”

“Sure thing, Hyuga.” Shikamaru waved him off with a smirk.

Neji set off immediately, walking quickly to the front door and pulling on his shoes. He was preparing to activate his Byakugan as he opened the door, expecting that a mad search would be required to find his cousin. But as he glanced up, he froze.

Hinata was standing like a statue in the front garden, a few steps away from the house. She turned at the sound of the door opening, her face still red and her expression one of horrified embarrassment. Neji steeled himself, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out what to say. But Hinata beat him to it.

“I’m so sorry!” She blurt out. “I can’t believe I just ran away like that! After coming into the house unannounced! I must apologize to Shikamaru-kun. What must he think of me? He must be so embarrassed!”

“I don’t think Shikamaru gets embarrassed, Hinata.” Neji heard himself saying.

“Well, no, I suspect he doesn’t.” Hinata replied, face still red as a summer beet.

“Hinata,” Neji finally stepped away from the door, shutting it behind him. “You must be upset. Please allow me to explain.”

“Upset?” Hinata repeated, looking surprised. “Why would I be upset?”

Neji blinked several times in surprise. “What you just saw – you ran away – I figured…”

“Oh!” Hinata squeaked, her small hands covering her mouth. “Oh no! I promise I’m not upset, Neji nii-san! I ran away because I was flustered!”

“Flustered?”

Hinata nodded quickly, glancing away. “S-Shikamaru-kun is v-very handsome, isn’t he?”

When Neji only stared at her, Hinata hastened to add, “I’ve never seen a n-n-naked man before.” She admitted, her voice high and shaky. “I was just…shocked.”

Neji closed his eyes, sighing. _“Mental note,”_ He told himself, _“Clothe Nara immediately.”_

Finally, Neji replied, “Yes, Shikamaru is very handsome. I’m sorry if we startled you.”

“It’s alright.” Hinata said quickly. “I’m beginning to recover, I think.”

Neji visibly relaxed. When he glanced back up at Hinata, she was smiling at him warmly. When Neji’s expression became questioning, her smile widened into a toothy grin. “I am _so_ happy for you.” She said. “You’ve liked Shikamaru-kun for years.”

“I – years? What?” Neji stuttered. Now it was his turn to blush.

“Yes?” Hinata tilted her head slightly, looking confused.

“So you knew already, then.” Neji clarified, his voice relieved.

“Oh, yes.” Hinata said, smiling again. “I think I knew before you did. And, um, I know this might not be the best thing to say, but Naruto-sama knew as well.”

“Naruto-sama?” Neji repeated, a cold wash of dread pouring over him. “How does he know? I never talk to him about Shikamaru.”

“He just _knew_ ,” Hinata said with a shrug. “The same way he just _knows_ everything.”

Neji shook his head. “So that means Uchiha must know as well.”

Hinata nodded with a nervous hum. “Yes, I believe he does.”

Neji sighed. For a long time, they stood silently, watching the birds and insects flitting between the herb gardens and bushes that surrounded them. Eventually, Neji glanced at his cousin once more. “I know I don’t need to tell you this, but in regards to your father…”

“He won’t find out.” Hinata immediately said, her face set as she nodded reassuringly. “My father is trying, but I know he would not understand. So for now, it will be our secret at home.”

Neji smiled at his cousin, feeling extremely grateful. “So, Hinata,” He began shyly. “Does this mean you approve?”

“Oh, very much!” Hinata beamed. “I believe someone like Shikamaru is very good for you, Neji nii-san!”

“Thank you,” Neji blushed slightly. “I hope you’re right.”

Hinata smiled at him before glancing up at the sky. “Ah, I have to be on my way.” She said, sounding regretful. “Please tell Shikamaru-kun that I’m sorry!”

“I will.” Neji replied, bowing his head slightly. “Thank you, Hinata.”

“Not at all.” Hinata brushed away his thanks as she returned his bow.

When they straightened, they both grinned, before Hinata turned and rushed out of the garden. Neji watched her go before turning back towards the house. It seemed very dark and quiet inside after the brightness of the garden. But as he bent to remove his sandals, Neji heard the sound of the shower running.

He wandered towards the sound, letting himself into the bathroom when he discovered that the door was open. Shikamaru was standing in the shower; the steam fogging up the glass doors and making his body look fuzzy and undefined, like a watercolor painting. He glanced over at Neji, quickly rinsing out the last of the shampoo from his hair as Neji approached. As soon as this was done, he opened the door. A cloud of steam poured out.

“How did it go?” He asked, sounding slightly apprehensive.

“Surprisingly well.” Neji walked towards Shikamaru’s gesturing hands, watching Shikamaru’s face as he untied the knot securing Neji’s robe. “She wanted me to apologize to you for coming in unannounced and then running away.”

Shikamaru smirked as he parted Neji’s robe, his hands gliding up Neji’s smooth chest to slip the garment off his shoulders. “Typical Hinata.” He said. “So she wasn’t mad?”

“On the contrary,” Neji replied. “She is thrilled for us. Apparently, you might be good for me, Nara.”

“Sure, Hyuga.” Shikamaru grinned. “Especially if we can go for thirty seconds without lecturing each other.”

When Neji only nodded in response, Shikamaru gestured towards the shower and asked, “Coming in?”

“A moment.” Neji said. He reached up and behind his head, untying his headband after a second of slight hesitation. He placed it beside the sink before turning back to Shikamaru, the curse mark on his forehead stark against his pale skin.

Shikamaru blinked twice before blushing. He recognized that simple gesture for what it was: a display of trust.

Neji smiled at that, allowing Shikamaru to pull him into the shower. Shikamaru guided him back into the warm stream of water. Neji wrapped his arms around Shikamaru’s waist, holding him tightly while Shikamaru gently combed his fingers through Neji’s hair, allowing the water to dampen every strand.

He resisted the urge to squirm in Neji’s arms. He wanted those big, deadly hands to touch him some more. But instead, he reached for the bottle of shampoo, squeezing some into his palm. Neji closed his eyes as Shikamaru began carefully lathering his hair, his expression serene. Shikamaru could only stare at him, his mind racing.

“How much time do you think we have before Yamato shows up?” He asked.

Neji cracked his eyes open, eyebrows rising when he saw the expression on Shikamaru’s face. His pulse increased as he began sliding his hands up and down Shikamaru’s slick back. Neji swallowed hard.

“We shouldn’t,” He murmured as Shikamaru began rinsing out his hair. “I’d rather not get walked in on twice in one morning.”

“What a drag,” Shikamaru drawled. His eyes strayed away from Neji’s face, following the path of shampoo bubbles as they slid down Neji’s neck and chest. “I _really_ want you right now. You’re so fucking hot.”

Neji smiled, slipping his fingers into Shikamaru’s wet hair. “The feeling is mutual.” He said softly before kissing Shikamaru. The kiss was slow and sensual, their hands stroking over wet skin gently as the water continuously streamed over them.

Finally, Shikamaru broke away, wiping a few water droplets from Neji’s cheek with a smile. “Ready to get out?” He asked.

When Neji nodded, he continued. “Alright, wait here. I’ll go grab you a towel.”

He ducked out of the shower quickly, wrapping his own towel around his waist before bustling out of the room. Neji’s eyebrows pinched in concern at the sight of Shikamaru’s slender body. He silently activated his Byakugan, watching through the walls as Shikamaru sauntered away down the hall.

His chakra had finally started flowing normally again, albeit weakly. It still seemed unsteady and sickly, however, and Neji silently berated himself for making Shikamaru exert himself when he was supposed to be resting. When movement grabbed his attention, Neji glanced up, only to inhale sharply in surprise.

Shikamaru’s heart was racing.

Neji blushed furiously. Shikamaru was forever unfazed and notoriously calm, too intelligent and pessimistic to be surprised by anything. And yet, there he was, his heart beating frantically as he dug around in the linen closet to procure a fresh towel. And the one who’d caused this fluttering was Neji.

Neji deactivated his dojutsu, covering his face with his hands. And in that moment, a realization that made Neji’s entire body feel hot gripped him tightly.

He was already falling head-over-heels for Shikamaru.

Shikamaru wandered back into the room, smiling absently as he held out the towel. “Here you go,” He said, sharp eyes casting around the room. “Where did I leave my hair tie?”

It took Neji a moment to find his voice. Once he’d turned off the water and opened the shower door, he replied, “Bedside table, I believe.”

“Oh yeah, thanks.” Shikamaru said, turning on his heel after Neji took the towel.

Neji dried himself off, wrapping the towel around his waist before following Shikamaru. It was a glorious, warm morning. Shikamaru had slid open his bedroom door as far as it would go to allow the air and the light to come in. He stood with his dripping hair already secured in its high ponytail, hands on his toweled hips as he looked around the room.

“Now,” He muttered to himself, seemingly oblivious of Neji’s presence, “Where did my pants go?”

Neji’s lips quirked up into the faintest smirk as he picked up his clothes and the bag Hinata had brought him. “Guest room?” He inquired.

“Next room over.” Shikamaru said absently, digging around in his drawers for clean clothes to wear. “You have your own bathroom in there.”

Shikamaru didn’t need to look around to know that Neji had silently moved away. He continued to mutter to himself as he tore through his drawers, almost all of them completely empty. Only his oldest clothes remained, most of them too small or too beat up for him to wear.

“I really need to throw all this crap out.” Shikamaru grumbled. “And do my laundry, for fucks sake.”

His towel secured around his waist, Shikamaru wandered out of his room and through the house. He must have something clean to wear _somewhere_.

The sudden knock on the door was loud enough to make Shikamaru jolt and swear. “ _Fucking -!”_ He slid into the closest open door, calling to Neji as he went. “Hey Neji, get the door! I can’t find anything to wear!”

He heard Neji respond faintly as he flicked on the light and glanced around the bathroom quickly, the air still hot with steam from the shower. His eyes landed immediately on Neji’s discarded white robe, which Neji had forgotten to take with him when he left the room. Shikamaru grinned, dropping his towel as he scooped up the finely crafted robe.

There were voices in the hall as Neji greeted Yamato, whose voice was slightly shaky with nerves. Shikamaru heard them moving towards the kitchen as he pulled on the robe and tied it around his waist, snorting at his reflection in the mirror. The garment was far too large on him, hanging below his knees and drooping off his shoulders.

“We’re the same height,” He muttered as he twisted slightly, taking in his reflection. Then he shrugged at himself, adding, “Desperate times.”

He left the bathroom, making his way down the hall before confidently sauntering into the kitchen. “Hey Yamato,” He drawled. “You’re here early.”

Yamato barely glanced up from his hands. “Hello, Shikamaru. Sorry to intrude so early in the morning, but Naruto-sama wanted me to meet with you as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Shikamaru replied, his eyes sliding away from Yamato towards Neji. He had to repress a shudder at the expression he discovered on Neji’s face.

Neji was dressed in his Black Ops uniform, the dark fabric clinging to him in all the right places. One hip leaned against the kitchen counter, upon which his hand was balled into a fist. His pale eyes roved over Shikamaru’s body, drinking in the sight of him in that oversized robe. Shikamaru practically squirmed under the wolfish intensity of that gaze.

He quickly tore his eyes away, taking his usual seat at the far end of the table. “So,” Shikamaru addressed Yamato, who glanced over at him tiredly. “Naruto wanted you to come over and tell us what happened that night in detail, right?”

Yamato nodded slowly. “You read the report already?”

“Yup.” Shikamaru confirmed as Neji stalked around the table quietly, sitting in the chair opposite Shikamaru’s. His opal eyes still held that dangerous gleam. Shikamaru swallowed before continuing. “It sounded like a shit show.”

Yamato let out a high note of laughter. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“We need you to tell us what happened, Captain Yamato.” Neji finally spoke, his rich voice slightly strained. “From the beginning.”

“Right, of course.” Yamato looked at his hands again. “Well, it began as a regular mission. One of the feudal lords advisors, a high-ranking politician, needed an escort to a political summit being held in the Hidden Mist. Since he’s a high-risk target, Naruto-sama dispatched Kakashi-sensei, myself, and an entire team of Chunin.”

“I read the mission summary,” Shikamaru encouraged Yamato with a nod. “It all seemed standard enough. A cut and dry courier mission.”

“And it was,” Yamato frowned. “Standard, I mean. We left on time; there was no trouble with supplies or weather. There were just enough civilians on the road to make us feel secure, but still able to act if we needed to. It was…boring. The Chunin were talking and joking a few hours in, and even Kakashi-sensei and I were relaxed. I could hear the politician and his wife laughing in the carriage…”

Neji and Shikamaru exchanged a glance. Even though his eyebrows were pinched, Neji’s eyes still slid down to the folds of the white robe that Shikamaru wore, the only thing concealing his body. That ravenous desire returned despite Yamato’s presence, and Neji almost hummed with pleasure when he noticed Shikamaru fidgeting under his gaze.

“So when did it stop being standard?” Shikamaru asked without breaking his eye contact with Neji. His heart was racing.

“When we were about an hour away from Kirigakure.” Yamato replied, still studying his hands, utterly unaware of what was happening between his hosts. “The mist started to get extremely thick, even more so than usual, and we began to sense that something was wrong. Kakashi-sensei and I decided to send a few scouts ahead on the road and in the surrounding forest.”

“But they never returned, correct?” Shikamaru interjected, recalling the details from the report he had read.

Yamato shook his head miserably. “They did, in a sense.”

Shikamaru and Neji finally tore their eyes away from each other.

“What do you mean?” Neji frowned. “All it said in the report was that the scouts were MIA before the main attack occurred. They were later assumed casualties of the skirmish.”

Shaking his head again, Yamato’s voice was low and shaky as he replied; “I didn’t feel right putting it in the report. I – I’ve been a shinobi for a long time, most of that spent in the Black Ops, but what we found…”

“Yamato,” Shikamaru kept his voice low, his attempt to sound soothing not quite translating through his dulcet tones. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what happened.”

After a long pause, Yamato went on. “When the scouts didn’t return, Kakashi-sensei and I went ahead to see what was happening. We found…we found the Chunin, their bodies, scattered along the road. Their bodies were…gods, they were cut to pieces. Totally dismantled.”

Neji frowned. “Naruto-sama did not report finding body parts anywhere along the road. Only the sight of the main attack.”

Yamato was visibly shaking as he replied. “He – he probably didn’t find them because he couldn’t s-smell them.”

Shikamaru wrinkled his nose. “What?”

“Naruto-sama tracks using his keen chakra senses.” Yamato clarified. “But the scouts weren’t…they weren’t killed on the road, so there wasn’t a lot of blood. It seemed as if the body parts were moved there from the kill site. Since the…the um, tissue hadn’t started to rot, even Naruto wouldn’t have been able to smell them from that far away. And they didn’t have any chakra l-left for him to sense, so…”

Neji exchanged another quick glance with Shikamaru. Yamato continued speaking without their prodding, lost in his own thoughts.

“As soon as we found the…parts, Kakashi-sensei and I knew it was a trap. We raced back to the others, but they were already under attack. Most of the Chunin were dead. And the politicians carriage was on fire.”

“So you and Kakashi jumped into the fray?” Neji said.

Yamato nodded. “Yes. But they were ready for us. They knew about our abilities, and with the Chunin dead we were outnumbered three-to-one. The enemy kept trying to split us up, so Kakashi-sensei created a diversion. We ran into the woods, were we could take them down one at a time. And the rest…the rest I think you know.”

Neji was frowning deeply. “Why would both of you go to look for the scouts? From a tactical standpoint it was…an ill-advised decision.”

Yamato sighed. “We suspected that the scouts had been killed, so we didn’t want to send out any more. I volunteered to go alone, but that girl on Ino’s team, Aya, insisted that I needed to take someone to watch my back. She volunteered herself, but she was the only medic so Kakashi-sensei insisted she stay. That Eros boy offered as well, but he was the strongest Chunin and he was crucial to our defensive formation. In the end, we decided that it was best for Kakashi-sensei and I to quickly run ahead. We thought we’d be strong enough to eliminate whatever danger was out there.”

Neji opened his mouth to reply, but Shikamaru caught his eye. The strategist shook his head slightly, and Neji grimaced. If Shikamaru - who probably knew even better than Neji what a huge tactical mistake that decision had been - didn’t think he should say anything, then Neji would stay silent.

“Do you remember anything else?” Shikamaru asked. “Anything at all? No detail is too small.”

Yamato’s eyebrows pinched as he struggled to remember. “Most of them kept their faces covered.” He said. “And the kunoichi who seemed to be in charge spoke in a strange dialect. I’d never heard an accent like hers before. But that’s all I can tell you. They all fought so hard that we weren’t able to capture any of them alive.”

“Too bad.” Shikamaru said with a sigh, running a hand over his damp hair. “We would probably have a lot more answers by now if you had.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.” Yamato said miserably, his wide eyes darting between them. “I know Naruto-sama is furious with the entire situation; Kakashi-sensei almost dying, losing all those poor Chunin and the politician, and the Eleven getting attacked inside the village walls.”

“The loss of the children is unacceptable.” Shikamaru said in a low voice. “But the rest of us? We’ve lived this long knowing every day might be our last.”

His dark eyes settled on Neji’s face, who returned the look with equal intensity. In some twisted way, the horrors of Yamato’s story had only redoubled his desire to touch Shikamaru. To live.

Shikamaru’s eyes began to burn, and moments later, Neji jolted as a phantom hand slid across his knee. His eyes widened as he glanced down, watching a dark, liquid shadow glide slowly up his thigh. His eyes flicked back to Shikamaru, who gave him a lazy half smile before turning back to Yamato. That shadowy hand continued on its path, eagerly meeting the proof of Neji’s arousal.

Neji shuddered slightly, glancing away from Yamato so that his face was concealed by the fall of his hair.

“Thanks for talking to us,” Shikamaru said. “This can’t have been easy. I need some time to think over what you’ve said. I’ll report to Naruto if I come up with anything.”

He sounded completely calm, his tone and body language suggesting that nothing but a friendly conversation was occurring. _The bastard,_ Neji thought with gritted teeth.

“Of course.” Yamato rose from the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go and check on Kakashi-sensei.” When Shikamaru looked as if he was about to stand up, Yamato quickly added, “You rest. I can see myself out.”

After Shikamaru had nodded and given his lazy farewell, his dark, scheming eyes returned to Neji. That phantom hand was gripping him through his clothes, rubbing with slow and torturous strokes. Neji’s upper lip curled as he stared across the table silently, his pale eyes dancing over Shikamaru like he was deciding where to strike first.

White fabric slid off Shikamaru’s shoulder, and Neji’s pale skin burned.

They were silent and still as they listened to Yamato shuffling in the hall, pulling on his shoes and straightening himself up as he prepared to leave. Only the shadow hand controlled by Shikamaru’s jutsu moved. They could scarcely breathe as they stared one another down.

Yamato called his farewell again.

As soon as the front door shut, Neji moved. A heartbeat later, Shikamaru was flat on his back, sprawled atop his mother’s mahogany table as Neji tore open his robe. Shikamaru gasped loudly as Neji descended upon him, practically growling as he captured Shikamaru’s mouth with his own. Their kiss was frantic and wild, almost painful as they grasped each other tightly.

Shikamaru’s strong legs wrapped around Neji, pulling him as close as possible. He moaned and squirmed when he felt Neji’s hard cock pressing against him.

Neji broke away from their kiss, turning Shikamaru’s head forcefully and biting the shell of his ear. His voice was guttural as he whispered, “You are a torturous little slut, Nara. You know that?”

Shikamaru grinned, aroused and amused to hear Neji using such language. His cheeks flushed with pleasure as he hummed, “You have no idea, Hyuga.”

In response, Neji ground into him, hard enough that the table moved. Shikamaru cried out, his entire body throbbing as he reached for Neji. Without hesitation, he captured Shikamaru’s hands and pinned them to the table above his head. His hair fell down around them, spilling across the table.

“Always such a smart mouth.” Neji said in a low voice, a smile on his lips. He ground against Shikamaru again, the table squeaking loudly along the floor.

Shikamaru let out a gasp and a breathless laugh, arching his body up into Neji’s hard chest. “I can think of a couple of ways you could shut me up, Hyuga.”

Neji really _did_ growl then, a primal sound that made Shikamaru’s pulse hammer in his throat. He closed his eyes, losing himself in the sensation as Neji kissed his lips, and then his neck, and then _everywhere._ He could only squirm and moan as Neji ravaged him, those strong hands still holding him in place.

Shikamaru thought he might be able to cum from that rough grip alone.

“Neji,” He moaned, heady with desire. “Neji, fuck. Let me touch you. I want -!”

His words were cut off by a gasp as Neji pulled him toward the edge of the table and into a seated position. He stood between Shikamaru’s thighs, his eyes and hands roving over Shikamaru’s exposed, aroused body.

Their faces were close together, their breaths mingling as Shikamaru slid his fingers through Neji’s hair. He had to resist the urge to pull it.

Neji laughed softly, shaking his head. “How do you do this to me?” He asked, meeting Shikamaru’s dark eyes. “I’ve never wanted anyone as badly as I want you.”

Shikamaru’s face was flushed. “Damn. I should put that shit on my resume.”

“Cocky bastard.” Neji smiled, leaning in closer to kiss him lightly.

“Look who’s talking.” Shikamaru murmured against his lips, gripping Neji firmly through the fabric of his pants. He dragged his palm slowly up the length as Neji’s erection, pulling a moan from his lips.

Neji leaned forward to kiss him again. Once their lips finally broke apart, Shikamaru swallowed nervously before whispering, “I want you to fuck me, Neji. I’ve wanted it for a long time.”

Those words made Neji groan, leaning into Shikamaru’s shoulder as his cock twitched in the genius’ hand. It took him a minute to collect himself, and the slow movement of Shikamaru’s hand certainly wasn’t helping. “Soon.” Neji promised, his voice thick. “I would love to – you have no idea how much I want to take you right now. But I don’t think we should get that deep too soon.”

Shikamaru let out a breathy laugh. “You can go as deep as you want, Neji. I can take it.”

Neji’s body ground forward in response to those words. He was breathless as he replied, “Like I said before, Nara. Tortuous little slut.”

“Only for you.” Shikamaru teased.

But his words were enough to get him pinned on the table again, where Neji spent the greater part of the morning returning the favour. Shikamaru came more times than he could count, his mind utterly and mercifully blank as he lost himself in Neji’s touch. And when Neji finally released him, Shikamaru greedily pulled Neji’s erection free of his pants, reaffirming his considerable skills as he took Neji into his mouth.

Shikamaru couldn’t recall when his hair had fallen out of his ponytail, but Neji’s fingers were knotted in it as he thrust into Shikamaru’s mouth, moaning as he finally came. Shikamaru continued his slow and sensual bobbing; causing Neji to shudder and curse as Shikamaru swallowed every drop of cum that Neji had shot into his mouth.

Outside of those walls, there was danger and death. There were enemies who hid in the shadows and plotted atrocities. They had duties and paperwork and training.

But in that moment, all they could think about was each other. All they wanted was to live another day.

Everything else could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babies! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I know a few of you were concerned that I wasn't going to continue the story, so I thought I'd drop a line or two to explain my long absence.
> 
> My partner Rose (it's a nickname, long story) and I went through a pretty long rough patch. Let's just say his family was less than thrilled when they found out he was dating a giant, tattooed white boy. But things are on the mend now, so hopefully I can update this a little more frequently. 
> 
> Thanks for your patience everybody! And happy reading. 
> 
> -Nate

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was originally published on FF.net but I'm going to start exclusively posting it here! Happy reading!
> 
> \- Nate


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